Slavica Ćirić: Pirot kilim is love

Slavica Ciric’s job is creative and artistic. She is the director of the craft shop “Lady’s Heart” from Pirot that produces kilims. After the introduction of the state of emergency in Serbia, the employees of “Lady’s Heart”, like many others, had to stop working, which made Slavica very sad.

“In the first week of isolation, I thought about economy and I realized that nothing would be the same again. At the same time, I also realized the power of art, and that in whatever situation one finds himself, one wants to be surrounded by the beauty, because it makes them feel better and stronger, and they think clearer. The Pirot kilim is the energy that brings peace, harmony and balance to everything. It is the cure. The Pirot kilim is love.”

Out of love for carpet making, Slavica decided to write a book about Pirot kilims, about the secrets and powers that lie within it. She wants to record the ancestors’ memories and stories, but also to write about how kilims are viewed today, and thus preserve the art of weaving from oblivion.

She takes the expert’s appeals to stay home very seriously. Now that she is not going to the office and when she is in contact with her family over the phone, Slavica is thinking about how easy or difficult something can be.

“There is no one who hasn’t said the sentence: I have no time, at least once a week. This situation gave us time. We keep some of the time in isolation for ourselves and use it for personal intellectual development. Creative and artistic activities can keep us away from the feeling low, but again, such activities need to be thought out and shared with our loved ones. This is the time when we feel love more than the physical closeness we are used to. We are in isolation precisely to preserve our families, our loved ones and other people. By staying at home, we show responsibility and love for others. What in it can be difficult for us then? ”

What she misses the most while in isolation are the hugs of her grandchildren. And that is exactly what she will do first once the situation caused by coronavirus is over. She will hug her grandchildren. She will then turn her thoughts of the Pirot kilim to the loom, where she and her ladies, mistresses of weavery, will wrap their ideas into new kilims.

Slavica Ciric is one of the participants in Wesley Channell’s photo exhibition Portraits of Serbia: Hope for the Future. You can read her story at http://portraitsofserbia.rs/en/stories/slavica-2/

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