Showing at the Eric Morecambe Centre…
Elizabeth Gowing: The Silver Thread: Silver filigree and traditional arts in Kosovo
From early silver mines described by Dante, through twentieth century politics and wars, a silver thread winds through Kosovo’s history, swirling intricately in the cultural capital, Prizren, where a seventh generation of filigree artisans use ‘filum’ and ‘granum’, zigzags, ‘mouse-tooth’ and other designs to magic lacy creations from dull sticks of raw material. The results – in boxes, buttons, jewellery, religious ornamentation and talismans of superstitition – are a fine narrative of Kosovo’s history and traditions.
Elizabeth taught in London after graduating from Magdalen College Oxford until 2006 when she moved to Kosovo in 2006 working with the Prishtina Ethnological Museum to found a charity promoting education and cultural heritage. A regular contributor to Radio 4 and the World Service, her books cover biographies and many aspects of Balkan history. She is a member of the advisory board of GuideKS, the NGO for Kosovan tour guides, and of the board of Faktoje, the Albanian fact-checking organisation.
Further information, guest ticket prices and membership fees can be found at: www.tashe.org.uk