Main description

Two of the projects of the Museum of Textile Industry in Sliven, supported by the National Culture Fund, are related to the research, popularization, reconstruction and contemporary interpretation of some traditional textile practices as part of our intangible cultural heritage. One of them, successfully implemented in 2016-2017, is "Dyeing from Nature - Traditions and Science" the other currently active is called "Variations in Blue". The activities of the Project "Dyeing from Nature - Traditions and Science" are aimed at exploring, describing, systematizing and generalizing knowledge about the nature and traditions of textile dyeing in the past. The main purpose is to research the dyeing of plant natural dyes, to restore this practice and to offer some ideas for modern application. The project focuses mainly on the youth audience. "Variations in Blue" focuses on two traditional practices - indigo dyeing and hand-made textile printing, exploring their individual beating and their joint appearance with a projection in the blue Kotel apron as part of the women`s costume. Both projects have similar characteristics: attracting different age and attitude participants in project activities, unification the efforts of specialists from different fields of knowledge and the art for consulting and direct participation in the project, implementing different methods to realization the purposes, creating visible forms of intangible heritage, shaping a finished material product, popularizing the general public, offering some ideas for contemporary interpretation and forming a basis for enrichment and diversification museum activities. Keywords: traditional textiles, dyes from plants, indigo, stamps, textile printing