On 4 and 5 October, Mykonos turns its attention to a craft that, for centuries, was woven into the everyday life of the island.
The initiative “Reviving the Ancient Greek Art of Weaving in 21st-Century Mykonos” takes place at Cine Manto and the Mykonos Folklore Museum, featuring talks, a screening of the documentary The Thread of the World, a live weaving demonstration on an ancient-style vertical loom, and educational activities.
The initiative is organised by the Mykonos Folklore Collection, with funding from the Cycladic Identity initiative of the Museum of Cycladic Art and the support of partners contributing to the preservation and contemporary continuation of the island’s weaving tradition.
For the past two years, the studio of Faye Chatzi has been based at Kalesma Mykonos, where weaving remains a living, everyday practice and visitors have the opportunity to experience the process of weaving first-hand.
From Thread to Textile
In the Cyclades, the loom was once an integral part of everyday life. Clothing, household linens, dowry textiles and objects for daily use were created through techniques and knowledge passed down from one generation to the next.
The initiative traces this journey from raw material to finished textile, documenting techniques, tools, local stories and personal testimonies, while also bringing an ancient-style wooden loom back into operation.
At its heart is the research of Faye Chatzi, Textile Designer & Artisan, into ancient Greek weaving and the possibility of allowing such an age-old craft to continue to exist and evolve in the present day.
4 & 5 OCTOBER | PROGRAMME
SUNDAY, 4 OCTOBER
Cine Manto | 19:00
Talks & Documentary Screening
Speakers
Maria Koutsoumpou
Archaeologist, Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades
Despina Nazou
Social Anthropologist, Assistant Professor of Social Anthropology, Panteion University
Faye Chatzi
Textile Designer & Artisan
Documentary Screening
“The Thread of the World”
Concept & Visual Narrative: Faye Chatzi
Set Design & Art Direction: Ariadne Nikoloudi
Direction & Cinematography: Thomas Ginis
Artistic Supervision: Filippos Koutsaftis
MONDAY, 5 OCTOBER
Mykonos Folklore Museum | 10:00
Educational Programme for Students
“From Past to Present”
As part of the programme, an ancient-style upright vertical loom will be presented. Constructed by Faye Chatzi based on the study of archaeological evidence and in collaboration with archaeologists, the loom was developed through an experimental archaeology approach. Its construction represents an attempt to explore and understand how an ancient loom functioned through the act of weaving itself.
Faye Chatzi will demonstrate the weaving process on the loom and lead a hands-on workshop, inviting students to experience an ancient technique in practice and discover the journey from thread to textile.
Students from schools across Mykonos will take part. In this way, archaeological research meets contemporary craft practice, creating a living dialogue between past and present.
Admission to all events on 4 and 5 October is free.
Faye Chatzi and a 150-Year-Old Loom
At the heart of Faye Chatzi’s studio at Kalesma Mykonos stands a loom approximately 150 years old, originally from Heraklion, Crete. Fully functional, it remains in daily use to this day. A tool for making, not an object for display.
Faye Chatzi has devoted her practice to researching, preserving and reinterpreting ancient and traditional weaving techniques through a contemporary lens.
Her work has been presented at the British Museum in London, the Benaki Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, while she is also a member of the international Master Artisans network of the Michelangelo Foundation.
From Land and Sea to Thread
The raw material itself has its own connection to place. The wool comes from Faye Chatzi’s small flock on Rineia. It is washed in the sea, dried in the sun and hand-spun using traditional tools.
A journey that begins with the land and sea of Mykonos and ends at the loom.
The Thread of the World is a return to the very beginning of the thread—and, at the same time, an attempt to keep it being woven into the present.
FAYE CHATZI Textile Designer & Artisan
