Textiles Time
I would like to warmly thank the Committee of the 2024 Symposium both for the acceptance of my paper proposal and for granting me the New Professional Award. Receiving this honor has afforded me the opportunity to participate in the Symposium and acquire valuable experiences.
For me, participating in a Textile Society of America event was something like a distant dream, ever since I first encountered the online program offered by the TSA during the COVID-19 pandemic. It may sound a bit melodramatic or far-fetched, but discovering the TSA program offered me pleasure, excitement and solace. It wasn’t solely due to the state of the pandemic that I experienced these feelings. It was mainly the fact that I had discovered a community where textiles were examined, studied and thoroughly appreciated all over the world. This community was an inspiration, especially as I was writing my own master thesis on contemporary textile art in Greece (Weaving as art: the evolution of textile art in Europe in 20th century and the Greek example).
Bearing all of this in mind, I proposed a paper for the 2024 Symposium. But it came as a surprise to me that I was selected not only to present my work at the symposium, but also to receive the New Professional award, giving me the chance to participate without worrying about the cost. This opportunity was very helpful for my situation; I am currently pursuing my PhD and every type of financial assistance contributes to my scientific research. Moreover, receiving the award and the professional recognition that came with it encouraged me to continue my academic work on textiles.
My presentation at the Symposium (“Tactility and historicity in contemporary textile art: the Greek example”) was based on my master’s thesis research. It was the first time I shared these results with an international audience. The purpose of my presentation was to present examples of Greek textile art in the 20th century, discussing a methodology I have formed around the concepts of historicity and tactility, concepts that describe textile art in general. Furthermore, I elaborated on concepts such as women’s time, the crafts workshop, and the gesture and the grid. These concepts also form part of my proposed contemporary theory on textile art. In addition, I presented the history of textile art in Europe and how it intertwines with Greek examples. After my acceptance into the symposium program, I was very glad to receive instant feedback and valuable comments on my work. They helped me to make my theoretical context clearer and more specific for the symposium audience. This type of immediate feedback was something I experienced for the first time in an academic event. The feedback was offered alongside pre-symposium mentoring sessions. These valuable sessions truly offered guidance and opportunities to share with other members of the community. During the sessions I was preoccupied with the thought that my research focus, contemporary Greek textile art, would be unfamiliar to most of the symposium attendees. I still remember the advice I received for making my presentation more personal. By sharing my experiences and my journey of studying the history of art, I would be better able to connect with the audience.
I believe the whole of the symposium gave me knowledge, connection and new methodologies. I think the most precious thing was to be able to feel accepted in this community where textiles are seen through a scientific and yet creative lens, as a means of bearing and conveying cultural meaning. I recall three sessions that had special significance for me for various reasons: “Needle Methodologies- Mending as Remembrance”, “Community and Care”, and “Grainline: Sewing an Expanded Field”. Through these presentations and others, I learned about new artists and new methods of seeing and studying, I shared my concerns about practices of care in the contemporary world, and I felt a little bit more empowered to follow my own academic path.
The same feeling followed after my session. I felt I was really welcomed, and everyone was understanding and caring. It was a new experience for me, repairing the feeling left by academic events I have participated in in the past. So I believe the key point of the Symposium for me was the feeling of kindness and respect.
I am so glad, again, that I was able to be part of this community, to spend my time and share my academic research, thoughts and concerns with its members.
Markia Liapi is a philologist and art historian. She has studied Modern Greek Literature, Comparative Literature and Art History (MSc in Comparative Literature, MSc in History of Art, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) and since December 2021 she is a PhD candidate at the Department of Modern Greek Literature AUTH ( “Representations of women’s time in contemporary female poetry: The Greek example”). She participated as Princeton research fellow in the 2024 Summer Institute of Ancient Greek Tragedy in Athens. She has participated in conferences on modern Greek literature, theatre studies and textile art. Her academic interests revolve around feminist criticism in literature, art history and the history of textiles. She worked as a philologist in secondary education and as an oral history researcher at Istorima. She can be reached at: liapimarki@lit.auth.gr.
