Izzy Milenkovic

Warp and Weft, MA Character Animation

Warp and Weft is an animated documentary short celebrating traditional textile crafts. It’s a love-letter to hand-making, honouring the craft practices and the people who cherish them. The film stems from a fear that these art forms may slip away in a society increasingly disconnected from the human labour behind them.

Warp and Weft explores traditional textile practices through the lens of animation. Textile crafts occupy a unique space at the intersection of cultural tradition and personal expression, blending utility with decoration. This film emerged from my desire to experiment with animation as a way to bring these tactile mediums to life.

I began by interviewing five female textile artists skilled in weaving, knitting, cross-stitch, embroidery and dress-making. Their stories inspired the animated visuals, which I crafted using stop-motion techniques to evoke the texture and movement of the materials. My goal was to give viewers a sensory experience, making it feel as though they could almost touch the fabrics themselves.

To honour the hand-crafted nature of the subject, I minimised computer editing and digital post-production, opting instead for hands-on creation of the textile components used in animation. This process deepened my connection to the materials and the film’s message.

Warp and Weft celebrates the value of creating art by hand and emphasises the importance of preserving these practices, which are woven into our cultural history. It also challenges the art-craft divide and critiques how ‘women’s work’ is often marginalised. I hope this film highlights the incredible skill and artistry inherent in traditional crafts, and encourages viewers to reconsider their perceptions of these art forms.

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