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| Marcos Mussi - RENDA BRASILEIRA |
A talk to researcher and
producer Silvia Sasaoka about lace in Brazil . At that time, June, 2013, there was a exhibit named RENDA BRASILEIRA at SESC/Belenzinho, Curator Renato Imbroisi.
fonte : craftcouncil.org
- Can you tell me a little bit about Brazilian lace?
Laces are a secular tradition in Brazil that passes from mother to daughter.
Learning starts early, between 6 and 12 years old. The girls - and boys, more
rarely - learn by observing the everyday work by lace makers in their family
and neighborhood.
Researchers say that laces arrived in Brazil with European settlers and
different techniques for incorporating it came with the different flows.
Although the techniques practiced today in Europe stem from the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries, the story of the airy stitches techniques goes back to
ancient Eastern cultures. Some researchers identify their origins in the Iberian
Peninsula as a legacy of the Moors. Others point to the influence of eastern
macramé. And there are those who express their indigenous roots as one of
the basic techniques.
There is no doubt that there is a link between laces and the fishing nets,
particularly in Brazilian coastal regions, woven mostly by the fishermen’s
Marcos Muzi
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wives. The first laces were introduced by the European techniques in Brazil
through the Azores Islands from Portugal.
There are several techniques that have developed, and they basically fall into
two major groups: bobbin lace and needle lace, which are subdivided into
many variants as Renaissance or needle laces, Irish Laces (a variety of needle
laces differing from material), frivolité laces (tatting), nanduti (Tenerife), and
filet laces (embroidery on cotton thread of fishermen’s net technique).
- How has this lace tradition moved into current times?
In ancient times, laces were made of linen and silk yarns, and nowadays
cotton thread it is mostly used. Before industrialization, laces represented an
investment activity that helped support the family.
But, with the mass
production of industrialized laces, the craftsmen lost their space in market.
Today in Brazil, lace maker’s daughters and other girls resist doing the most
time consuming work by hand, with so many other available jobs.
But the story of laces grows in circles, like the stitches in the air. A sudden
passion for craftsmanship revitalized the way of doing things by hand, and
lace makers regained self-esteem and new professional perspectives. Several
Brazilian fashion designers started to include laces as themes for collections:
Ronaldo Fraga, Walter Rodrigues, Martha Medeiros, Eduardo Ferreira, and
Lino Villaventura, among others.
- Where do you see this craft tradition going in the future?
This new provision of the so-called consumer market is dramatically affecting
and transforming the production of laces. Laces acquire new shapes, colors
and functions, and are made with old and new materials. Currently, the lace
makers are paying attention to fashion trends, and seek to renew and
innovate. And governmental and non-governmental institutions are offering
several courses, as part of a broader program of recovery, rebuilding and resignification
of Brazilian handicraft.
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Marcos Mussi - RENDA BRASILEIRA
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There are several techniques that have developed, and they basically fall into
two major groups: bobbin lace and needle lace, which are subdivided into
many variants as Renaissance or needle laces, Irish Laces (a variety of needle
laces differing from material), frivolité laces (tatting), nanduti (Tenerife), and
filet laces (embroidery on cotton thread of fishermen’s net technique).
