Memory fibers. The past and the present of Vamberk lace-making

Project Description

The main objective of the project Memory Fibres is to create a new, comprehensive view of lace-making in the region of the Orlické Mountains and their foothills (the so-called Vamberk lace) and to place it in the European cultural context. In the past, this region was one of the traditional lace-making centres.

The project of the three cooperating organisations - UHK, UCT, and NHI fulfills the main thematic priority No. 1 of the programme of the Ministry of Culture NAKI III, which develops the protection of the most endangered typological groups of national intangible cultural heritage.

The project is aimed at systematic analysis, documentation and presentation of the phenomenon of Vamberk lace-making. The analysis of the development of the lace-making craft, and its historical and artistic personalities will complement the basic tools of identification and documentation and will lead to the elimination of shortcomings in the current imperfect registration and identification of the heritage values of lace and lace-making and to a significant improvement in the communication of these values at home and abroad.

In researching and processing the topic of the lace of Vamberk, a broader historical, art-historical, and conservation perspective will be applied, as well as the perspective of appropriate care of lace in museum-type facilities. Experts from the University of Chemistry and Technology will carry out a detailed restoration survey of the lace and long-term monitoring of the climate of the storage and exhibition spaces, particularly in the Lace Museum in Vamberk. They will address the issues of conservation, reconstruction and restoration, appropriate storage in depositories and display. They will develop a methodology dedicated to the restoration and preventive conservation of lace. Research will be carried out on the development of the technology of lace making in the area and its specifics. The members of the research team will create an inventory of Vamberk lace producers and will focus on textile artists and artists inspired by Vamberk lace and artists cooperating with the Vamberk lace cooperative. Educational programmes, aids and popularization materials will be prepared on lace and its production.

The research will also focus on the use of Vamberk lace in folk and urban environments, its application in aristocratic clothing and in the religious environment. Attention will also be paid to the machine production of lace or to the teaching of hand lacemaking.

Based on the collected data, an interactive map with professional content will be created, which will be accessible to the public on the project website. The project outputs will include three exhibitions with critical catalogues. Church in Lace - Lace in Liturgical Art (2026), Lace in Historical Portraiture (2026) and Memory Fibres. The past and the present of Vamberk lace-making (2027). A conference of the same name (2027) and a conference Lace in History (2027) will be held, and articles will be published in scientific journals.

The determined outputs are an essential scientific disposition for further understanding and presentation of Vamberk lace-making by public institutions, namely the Hradec Králové Region and the town of Vamberk, which initiated the successful entry on the List of Intangible Elements of Traditional Folk Culture of the Czech Republic, which is an important precursor to the efforts to register the cultural heritage on the UNESCO list. The multi-layered research and interpretation carried out through the above outputs will support the conditions for the inscription of the cultural heritage on the UNESCO list.

Investigators

• PhDr. Vlastimil Havlík, Ph.D. (Faculty of Education, University of Hradec Králové) – main investigator
• Ing. Markéta Škrdlantová, Ph.D. (University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague)
• Mgr. Veronika Pilná, Ph.D. (National Heritage Institute)

Administrator

• Ing. Eliška Drabinová, Ph.D. (official contact)

Timeframe

• 2023–2027

Details

Project DH23P03OVV022 – Memory fibers. The past and the present of Vamberk lace-making

NAKI III – Programme for the support of applied research in the field of national and cultural identity for the years 2023 to 2030 Provider: the Ministry of Culture, Maltézské nám. 1, 118 11 Prague 1.

Project website