Lekazia Turner, embroiderer from Jamaica, 2022

BLANKA BERTA KOLKOVA

Czech Republic | 2020
SECTION OF DRESS: Folk embroidery

An honouring of the many women that have come together to work on the dress.

Originally from the Czech Republic Blanka has been in Glastonbury, Somerset for the last 5 years living and working in Zig Zag (a derelict 23000 sq. ft icon of a building on three floors) which has now been lovingly filled with accommodation, art studios and a gallery).

Blanka also has a cosy caravan just outside, the interior of which she has hand painted in the most exquisite eastern European folk patterns

Blanka works with textiles, mostly knitting and crochet and also recycles old clothes. Currently Blanka is creating a new Textile Recycling centre in an old factory building – drawing together all the textile creatives in the area to be make something truly special. The space will offer classes and workshops as well as an opportunity to connect with all things textiles.

Inspired by her roots, in particular czech and slovak folklore embroidery Blanka created a  a beautiful motif onto the outside of the bodice arms. Bold floral and decorative shapes swirl out from the word ‘Sesterstvi’ meaning ‘Sisterhood’

“ ..this word came to my mind when I’ve seen your dress for the first time...this is real sisterhood project”.  
Blanka Berta Kolkova





To contact Blanka for commissions, please write to her on: bk76@seznam.cz




OUR SUPPORTERS

A huge thank you to all who have given their time, energy, enthusiasm, advice, experience and financial support to the Red Dress project over the years.

In addition to the institutions below, funding has been gratefully received from a number of private donations and 441 individuals around the world via 2 Crowdfunding campaigns in 2020 and 2022.

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Nothing expresses more eloquently the feelings I suspect we share about the importance of embroidery in our lives, and the support we derive from the friendships made through stitch, than Kirstie Macleod’s Red Dress.
Caroline Zoob, Editor of Stitchers Journal 2022
This beautiful object highlights the common ground between individuals, bringing together different identities and uniting people, we are honoured to contribute to it.
Tiny Kox, PACE President at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg 2023
The Red Dress has become an icon of the international textile world.
Suzanne Smith, Textile Society 2022
The Red Dress in its final incarnation, a magnificent, regal robe, symbolises the empowerment of women through the creation of something beautiful, something which began with bowed heads and tired fingers but also with faith and joy, an openness and willingness to be a part of something which they could not see at that time but in which they could believe had meaning and worth connecting with other women around the world.
Lady Alison Myners, Chair of the Royal Academy Trust 2020
The Red Dress is in some respects similar to Mail Art, the populist artistic movement centred on sending small scale works through the postal service. It initially developed out of the Fluxus movement in the 1950s and 60s – but on a larger scale – the journey of the work is part of its identity, process, and in fact function. A signifier of the temporal and physical nature of the process inherent in the creation of the piece. The surface of the dress layered with embroidery slowly transforming into a specific topographical map – completely particular to the work’s journey – and reflective of the burgeoning sculptural landscape of the object.
Paul Black, Artlyst 2015
It’s her (Kirstie’s) red silk Dupion bodice and voluminous skirt created for the Red Dress that fully demonstrates her commitment to embroidery and the immense respect for the international community of makers.
Denna Jones. Embroidery Magazine 2010
...the fact that they could embroider what they wanted and that it is appreciated has given them some strength, some confidence that I didn’t feel so strongly before they created the embroideries.
Nicole Esselan, Founder of Kisany Africa, supporting artisans in DR CONGO and RWANDA who created embroidery on the Red Dress in 2018
This is both an extraordinary work of collective art and profound and eloquent social commentary. It is also an example of how potent the Attire language is capable of becoming.
Attires Mind (Fashion Blogger) 2020
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