oh hello (limited, face-masked) general public! zitozza are excited and proud to announce to be a founding participant of JUTEFEST dundee! this is a brand new initiative with three makers working with jute differently (that’s - jist jute, knotty but nice, and zitozza) and our aim is to bring this wonderfully versatile and sustainable fabric back to its city where it once came out of in the tons.
the three of us work with jute in different ways - you can read our design conversations with jist jute already - there is a great deal of research and local history in alison’s work and she will also be signing her book “if these wa’s cuid talk” at the event. maite of knotty but nice is a crocheter who uses twine from nutscene to make strong and colourful bags and accessories. so there will be jewellery, fashion accessories - and cushions, rugs and lampshade by zitozza also for sale. but apart from setting up market stalls with our things, we will be making live at the event and demonstrate our crafts as well as preparing some exhibition materials on the history of jute in the city as well as some modern takes on the golden fibre.
there’s certainly a lot of heritage to celebrate in dundee but we also believe in embracing the present and we have our modern-day reasons why we work with it - one of these is of course sustainability, because we recognise our responsibility and we want to promote materials with less of a carbon, chemical, and water footprint. however, there is also a more artistic take on it - jute is a very utilitarian material, and when it was mass produced in dundee, it was fully to serve other industries and agriculture with its sacks and ropes. the three of us don’t use it this way though. we inject it with colour, design and individuality while keeping what’s good about it - the warmth, tactility and environmental qualities. there’s a lot to discover and play with and we want the locals to join us to celebrate that!
zitozza are preparing with a special launch of mini-tapestries as well, an initial 8-piece exhibtion will be set up for visitors - all wall-art will be available to be purchased online soon as well!
so when is this is happening? this is going to be a series of pop-up fairs stretched out between june and september on the first saturdays of each of these months. so that’s 5th june, 3rd july, 7th august, and 4th september.
and where about? at the artantics building (many thanks to scrapantics!), that’s right across from verdant works. the address is unit 2, anchor mill, west henderson’s wynd, dundee, DD1 5BY.
this is going to be a real-life event which is why it’s a big deal to those of us having been confined to our studios and council areas and whatnot. even though we are super happy to be finally free to meet you and celebrate, we still have to be careful and be aware of the spread of coronavirus. we want to be as safe as possible, so please note we will require face masks to be worn and we may still limit the number of people indoors in order to be able to keep a safe distance. thanks for your understanding and see you soon!
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links:
jutefest instagram and twitter
jist jute instagram and etsy shop
scrapantics (website)