Weaving a Petrography

The textile is a woven archive, which visualizes the geological elements of the marble that was mined from the quarry of Saint Eleftherios on the Outer side of Tinos.

Specifically, the numerical data of the chemical analysis of the rock as recorded by the Hellenic Authority for Geological and Mining Research (E.A.G.M.E.) create the fabric pattern, while the color palette is defined by the petrography of the rock. At the same time, its decoration derives from a filet lace design, of the traditional Tinian needlework technique.

Geological heritage is the set of forms and processes that make up the geological history of any region. Different geological events, conditions and processes are reflected in mineral rock structures. Geosites tell a snapshot of the long history of the land in that particular area. For this specific project, I regard Agios Eleftherios quarry as an autonomous geosite, an “observer” of the successive events of the area. 

Marble mining is a laborious task that occupied the male population of the island. To fill the gap left by the men employed in the quarry, women took up the strenuous agricultural activities. A traditional filet lace design is transcribed into a different technique that of weaving, while at the same time the narrative of cultural heritage is inscribed in that of geological heritage. The work examines a different gendered division of labor defined by the presence of marble in the area.

The work was woven at Zarifeios weaving  School of Tinos.

• dimensions

  33 x 140 cm

• exhibition

  The inherited earth, Tinos

• curator

  nwmw

• production

  Fe 26 residency

• year

  2023