The apron

We discovered this very old apron during a visit to a traditional island house…

This strange fabric immediately attracted me; it took me a while to realize it was an apron. And then, I came to this revelation… It was so much more: the memories of a lifetime or an exceptional apron scrapbook!

The owner of the apron used to be a housewife, a mother, a friend…

Having lived her entire life in the island, she was connected with its people. Every time that someone dear got married, she kept the martiriko (the small cross that is given to the guests that attend Greek marriage ceremonies). She would do the same when her children got baptized. Then, she was sewing these souvenirs on her apron. She went to dances and festive gatherings wearing her best dress. When the dress was becoming too old to wear, she was sewing one of the buttons on her apron.

Life went on, and the owner of the apron had hundreds of happy memories wrapped around her, keeping her company every time she was washing the dishes or making a stew for the family. Can you image the energy of that piece of cloth?

I don’t know about you, but I was moved by the creativity of that woman. In such a distinctive manner she ­united all the special events of her life and transformed them into something new. For me, that was an amazing example of applied art.

words: m. alipranti

© photo: c. drazos