An artist from central Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), preserves tradition by practicing traditional crafts. Aida Pasalic has become adept at creating felt paintings and teaches this technique to younger generations.
In her home studio, Aida crafts pictures from dyed wool. In BiH, wool has been used for centuries to make clothing, packaging, carpets, and even wall coverings. Originally a mechanical engineer, she makes paintings depicting landscapes and flowers, aiming to honor a craft deeply rooted in the history of a country known for sheep farming.
“I believe that every form of art, and I consider old crafts to be art, has great potential to build bridges between people. Another aspect of building bridges is between the older and younger generations. By passing on an old craft to people, we preserve it from being forgotten,” says Aida Pasalic, an artist.
The skill of transforming wool fibers into felt has been passed down through generations, providing a significant source of income and social interaction for BiH women.
“BiH has always been known for its traditional crafts. There used to be over 400 registered crafts here, which were interconnected. One of these crafts was wool processing, which involved all that could be done with wool – felting, weaving, carding, dyeing with natural materials. Sheep farming has been prevalent and remains so in BiH for various reasons. Today, it is mainly preserved for dairy product processing, but in the past, it provided a significant raw material – wool,” says Lejla Agic, an educator at the City Museum Zenica.
Like many crafts, working with wool has become a casualty of modern times and lost its popularity. Aida’s work has been included in the City Museum Zenica’s “Made in” project.
“The goal of this project is precisely to find new stories and emerging crafts. It’s about combining the traditional with what could be interesting and usable for today’s consumers while primarily preserving traditional processing techniques and also upgrading them in a new direction,” adds Lejla Agic.
The project brings together 1000 craftsmen, designers, cultural, and scientific workers from six countries. Through her workshops, Aida aims to keep this technique alive and attractive to the youth, RSE writes.
Photo: Zenicablog
E.Dz.
