Ismini Samanidou - Practice and Process

The talk yesterday, illustrated by some inspiration pieces, was about the work of this young weaver Ismini Samanidou 

I don't know how to start in trying to convey her energy, inspiration, depth and breadth of knowledge.  She was though infectious and by the end of the afternoon I felt that I had not only the knowledge I needed to navigate the concept of parallel universes, but had the motivation to do so !!.

Ismini came from a family of scientists and medicine, but who had an appreciation of creativity - it later transpired there was also a very talented lacemaker, her name sake, lurking in her DNA.  

It never fails to amaze me when people claim they have no family link to crafts, and then it transpires that only a generation or two before someone had earned their living as such !!  Perhaps it is some kind of echo down the generations which emerges as a fundamental need to create?

Her work is experimental and understanding her sources and inspiration adds depth and understanding as you approach her samples and current work.

I personally was very impressed with the work she had undertaken on weaving a piece which was joined at an edge and opened like a book. This was representative of the concept of parallel universes joined together and it took my imagination out of the room and into her mindset.

She had also undertaken some work in Godolphin House in Cornwall, one of her projects emerging from the inspiration source of a hung tapestry and the surface underneath - covered with old decaying wallpaper.  The weaving which she had undertaken was intriguing and conceptual, whilst still containing the elements of her source material so I could relate to it, whilst admiring the project in its own right.

I can relate to this - as I am currently undertaking a weaving designed to cover a textured surface and decaying wallpaper !! Not quite of such historical significant yet though...

At the start of her talk, she described the group of spinners which had encountered that morning as appearing to her like an orchestra.  Wow, what a visual image, and so true.