The embroidery of Vyshyvanka. From traditional technique to contemporary technologies
Abstract
This thesis includes historical research and analysis on the development of the Ukrainian
traditional shirt and its embroidery. I would like to present the embroidery of Vyshyvanka
as one of the national symbols of modern Ukraine.
The theoretical discussion is divided into two sections. The first section looks at the
historical background of embroidery and its contemporary usage. It shows history of
Vyshyvanka and changes of Vyshyvanka’s embroidery through the history of Ukraine. This
part pays specific attention to how political situations influenced the popularity and
ultimately shape the tradition. A detailed description of the last three centuries’ impact
on Vyshyvanka is given. It was pragmatic to look at existing artefacts as it allows the
opportunity for analysis. Also, it shows how old patterns from Vyshyvanka inspire
contemporary artists, designers and architects in creating contemporary art, specifically
in Ukraine. The popularity of using motifs from Vyshyvanka’s embroidery is rapidly
emerging. Certainly, there are many artists who use traditional motifs.
My aim has been to show the importance and the value of these traditions. I wanted to
give the reader an understanding of Vyshyvanka and its role in national identifications of
Ukrainians.
The second section tells about my journey to finding inspiration through Vyshyvanka’s
embroidery. It includes an analysis of artefacts from Kyiv region from the Ivan Gonchar
museum collection. After the analysis I am defining features of Vyshyvanka’s embroidery
in the Kyiv region. The work with artefacts helped me to highlight the difficulty of creating
embroidery of Vyshyvanka. The analysis became a reason why I chose one special
embroidery technique as an inspiration for the final object, which became a result of my
work with this traditional embroidery.
The practical section became the main emphasis of my project. With my object I’m
showing my vision of the modern approach to this tradition. I’m making a stylisation and
separating the embroidery from the fabric. However, I am trying to retain the artistic
expression which we see in handmade embroidery, even though I am using a 3D printer.