Lavinia Ghimbășan
”Back to Our Sheep” explores Romania’s pastoral heritage by reexamining the wool industry, which has drastically declined over the past 30 years. Once a valuable resource, wool is now often discarded, leading to ”wool cemeteries” where the material is buried due to the absence of a functional integration system.
This project explores wool as more than just a material, viewing it as a complex, interconnected system. Through dialogues with actors in the wool sector across Transylvania and Banat, Lavinia Ghimbășan delves into traditional practices such as farming, shearing, dyeing, spinning, and weaving. By using design as a mediation tool, the project prototypes new collaborations that breathe life into local wool, transforming it into contemporary forms that harness its renewable, biodegradable, thermal and acoustic potential. ”Back to Our Sheep” blends the forgotten with the contemporary, and its ambitious aim is to spark the regeneration of Romania’s wool industry and craft traditions.
Credits
Film making: Tudor Cioroiu, Bucharest, Ro
Shearer: Ciprian Marin, Brasov, Ro
Raw wool: Ferma Rusu, Cincu, Brasov, Ro
Craft mediator: Marlene Herberth, KraftMade, Cincu, Ro
Wool sorter and knitter: Aurelie Morillas, Agnita, Sibiu, Ro
Wool sorters and shearers: Laura Bec, Ariege, Fr & Gaby Bouvier, Tarn, Fr
Archaic wool washing: Lisa, Brasov, Ro
Weaver: Greavu Maria Viorica, Lisa, Brasov, Ro
Natural dyeing: Studio Nalba, Brasov, Ro
Wool manufacturing: Cosea Wool, Cluj-Napoca, Ro
Industrial wool threading: Uniunea Tehnologiilor Textile (UTT),Timișoara, Ro
Industrial weaving: Pasmatex, Timișoara, Ro
Wool insulation manufacturer: LanaTerm, Oradea, Ro George Lupou, Oradea, Ro