Tools of the Trade

Despina Myriokefalitaki-Zografos

Growing up on the Greek island of Crete, I was fascinated by the craft that the majority of women used to create. “Ergohera,” meaning “works of the hands,” are creations using embroidery and crochet techniques. I was enchanted by the afternoon gatherings at my family’s home as the designs created were so complex. Similar to the way pieces of thread were connected to construct a unified design, women in my community connected as well. It was so delightful to observe how a simple thread in a woman’s hands can be transformed to so many intricate motifs and repetitive patterns. “Ergohera” usually pass from one generation to the next one accompanied by the love and care infused in the thread. The process of the creation is meditative as the women think about the loved one for whom they are creating the work. Every piece has a name connected to it.

“Strolleroptera” series is about the transformative experience of motherhood. This made-up word originates from “Lepidoptera”, an order of insects that includes butterflies. To create the word, I combined the English word “stroller” with the word “ptera” meaning “wings” in Greek. The word “Strolleroptera” is a reference to my cultural background as it combines the two languages that I speak in my daily life as a Greek immigrant to NY.

As part of my artistic practice, I have been consistently taking pictures of my shadow in different environments. As soon as a shadow attracts my attention, I instinctively look for the source of light. When I became a mother, the transformation of the shape of my shadow was apparent since it had now merged with that of my twins’ stroller to become one.

To create these works, I took one photograph of a long intriguing shadow that I captured as I pushed my twins’ stroller in the afternoon sun. By mirroring the image, I transformed it into a butterfly shape. I initially designed two different images and started experimenting by repeating a single motif in a geometric and symmetric composition or radial design. While working in these compositions, new images emerged as I manipulated the scale or form of the initial designs, or both. One composition naturally unfolds to the next one and the possibilities of different geometric combinations seems to be endless. After finalizing the composition design, the next step is tracing it onto paper.

I then carefully cut the paper.

I am extremely fascinated by this creative process that keeps me going back to my studio every day. Over time, the “Strolleroptera” series has grown.

Paper cutting is a laborious and meditative process and is how I transform the paper into a lace-like surface. The paper is delicately cut to create a complex web that embeds the butterfly into a unified design.

The impulse behind my eagerness to cut out pieces of paper is my need to see beyond the first layer. Transformation, connections, shadow and light are themes that I explore in my artistic practice. My work is constructed in layers that I keep apart. By placing foam board in between each layer, I allow the shadows formed by the change of light to become a vital part of the artwork. The shadows visually mingle with the two layers creating a labyrinthine image, revealing kaleidoscopic forms of interconnected microcosms.

I hand-cut the paper flat on a chip board. When I lift the paper, the marks of the X-acto knife are visible and the design has been engraved. I place the chip board at the background of the piece as it is a record of the action of paper cutting and at the same time it adds one more layer to the work. It is also an invitation to the viewers to come closer and immerse themselves to the experience of observing the layers and the cut marks up close. In my most recent work, the composition becomes more oval, cocoon-like, and punctured text in repetition, like a mantra, has been introduced.

In other pieces, I combine a layer of hand cut paper with a second layer of acrylic painting on paper. The gold color used in Strolleroptera Bleu (below) is a reference to the sunlight depicting the idea of the shadow created by the sunlight becoming one with the source of light.

I also use my cut paper designs in combination with cyanotypes of actual “Ergohera” handed down to me by members of my family. Cyanotype is a camera-less photographic process. A mixture of two chemicals is used for coating and sensitizing the paper. The chosen object is placed on top of the paper and the set design goes in a UV light box or is exposed to sunlight, creating a silhouette effect.

The result of the process is a print with beautiful blue tones. Through the process of cyanotype, a design can be reproduced many times. There are no identical cyanotypes because each piece is individually treated and the resulting image is unique.

In my artworks, I create my own interpretation of “Ergohera.”  This is my way to keep a connection, like a thread, to the Greek women before me, my mother, my grandmother, my birthplace on earth, my roots.