The Curtain of Women
"The Curtain of Women" constitutes an uncommon way of celebrating the 130th anniversary of the Theatre.
Ceremonial unveilling (2023)The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
Its ceremonial unveiling took place on 17 December 2023 on the Grand Stage of the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow.
Theater director Krzysztof Gluchowski personally introduced "Curtain of Women".
Unveiling of The Women's Curtain (2023)The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
Unveiling of "The Women's Curtain"
The Curtain of Women (2023)The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
"The Curtain of Women" is an expression of solidarity with the world of women. It is a hand-woven story about women. It presents an artistic vision of the mythical Medusa, a symbol of female power. It commemorates the names of 130 famous Krakow women.
Author (2023) by Bartek BarczykThe Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
The author of the project is Małgorzata Markiewicz.
Design sketch by Małgorzata MarkiewiczThe Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
Works on the curtain were preceded by numerous designs.
The curtain measures 10.33 m × 11.9 m.
Real-size design printout (2023)The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
Subsequently, test prints were made on paper.
Women figures (2023)The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
Each character was hand-embroidered.
Name patterns by Małgorzata MarkiewiczThe Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
Patterns of names that appeared on the curtain.
Embroidered names (2023)The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
The final design included the names of 130 women of Krakow who, due to their activities in various spheres of social, patriotic and artistic life, deserve our memory.
Jellyfish sketch (2023)The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
The design refers to the mythological Medusa, the youngest of the three immortal sisters - the Gorgons.
Golden Medusa (2023)The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
Placed at the top of the curtain is the head of Medusa. Her hair swirls across the surface like tangled heavy vines, featuring 'gold-embroidered' nude women in relaxed poses.
Traditional wooden looms (2023)The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
It was made by Podlasie weavers using the technique of double-warp fabrics,made from woollen yarn on traditional wooden looms. These are patterned fabrics, composed of two intertwining layers.They are made using two warps.One side of the fabric is the colour inverse of the other.
PodlasieThe Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
Unique work (2023)The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow
'The Curtain of Women' is a unique work of art. Visitors can admire this enormous textile image - a truly unique piece of contemporary art - a story about Women created from warp and weft.
The curtain is used interchangeably with the Wyspiański's curtain and the Henryk Siemiradzki's curtain.
Anna Dąbrowa
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