Jadwiga Lenart & Wiktoria Podolec

Tartaruga Studio

Weaver

©Radek Zawadzki

A modern perspective on weaving

Wiktoria and Jadwiga take inspiration from their everyday life
They use recycled materials in their creations
It may take around two weeks to create a single kilim or rug

Weaving is a time consuming craft. Preparing a loom might take up to four days before the weaving process can even begin. Given this slow pace of work, it is no wonder Wiktoria and Jadwiga named their studio ‘tartaruga’, which means turtle in Italian. The pair met in the faculty of material technologies and textile design at Lodz University of Technology. They were still students when Art_Inkubator, an initiative that supports young people in starting their creative endeavours, announced a competition for new applicants. "It was an impulse," they say. "We knew we would have to wait two more years for the next contest and this was the moment to try." Two months after winning, they opened their studio, offering a contemporary approach to the traditional craft of weaving kilims and rugs.

Interview

©Tomek Kaczor

Where did you learn your techniques?: At the university we studied design and industrial textiles. We were lucky as our professors, seeing the interest we had in weaving, would stay after hours with us and share their knowledge. Weaving itself is a simple technique. It is the time you spend at the loom to master it that counts.
What's your design process?: When we come to design our collection, we will have already discussed and selected our inspirations. We then sit all day with crayons and cutouts, designing, observing each other. It is quite helpful since when one of us comes up with an idea, it easily seeps into subsequent projects.
How do you combine tradition and innovation?: Many kilim weavers adhere to traditional folk patterns. Folk looms were often handmade and were not always straight, so textiles made on them are not so precise – whereas we work on professional looms which give a high quality finish. Our designs are distinctive, but we do not follow trends, we want our work to be timeless.
What's the best thing about weaving?: It is calming and relaxing. After a physical day in the workshop your muscles feel sore, but your head stays clear. At the end of the day we do not just turn off the computer, but leave the studio with something physical that we have created.

Jadwiga Lenart & Wiktoria Podolec are master artisans: they began their career in 2012 and they started teaching in 2015