Rimma Ismagilova: Author of the "Divas in shawls" and "Muse in shawl" Projects

We give the text of the interview below, without any changes or additions of our own. You can also admire Rimma's works in our article.

1. Your grandmother knitted Orenburg down shawls. Is she a hereditary knitter? Did she teach you down knitting?

- All the women in my family knitted warm shawls and openwork shawls. The ability to knit down shawls was passed down from generation to generation: my grandmother taught my mother to knit shawls, and my mother showed me how down shawls are knitted.

2. At what moment and how did the idea of the "Divas in shawl" project come to you?

- I started my first project, "Divas in Shawls", in 2013. After watching yet another Audrey Hepburn film, I decided to make a collage of her photograph and down shawl patterns – to interpret the established image of the style icon with the pattern of a white Orenburg shawl. I deliberately used a black-and-white photograph and a white shawl. White was chosen not only because it goes well with a black-and-white photograph, but also because it is a symbol of purity and femininity. For each of the divas – Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Vivien Leigh, Grace Kelly, Twiggy – a pattern of its own was chosen. The "Divas in shawl" series of photo collages should not be taken literally; it is only an interpretation, and each of these beautiful women would have worn the shawl in her own way. This project has collages only with European style icons. That is also a deliberate step: it is easy to imagine Russian women in our shawl. This art project is a kind of dialogue between Western and Russian culture. My second project is already made from a black openwork shawl. "Muse in shawl" is a collage series consisting of one self-portrait illustration and the many patterns of one shawl. A kind of performance: watching how one pattern can change the perception of the same image.

3. We know that you treat down items from Orenburg with great love and respect. Are they in your wardrobe? If so, are they an everyday item or one for special occasions?

- Yes, I wear Orenburg shawls with great pleasure. I have several. They are not only warm but also beautiful. I like wearing openwork shawls over a raincoat or coat and draping them over the lapel of a jacket. An Orenburg shawl, like any other Russian shawl, can be worn both every day and on special occasions. It goes well both with a classic style and with a modern look.

4. What do you think is needed for Orenburg down shawls to regain great popularity among the general public and to arouse great interest among the younger generation?

- The Orenburg shawl is a classic. I cannot say it is not popular. For the Orenburg shawl to become popular not only with the employees of the factory and the museum and the women who knit it and wear it to keep warm, people and ideas are needed. People who realise that the shawl needs modernity. We need to do everything the first craftswomen did, but taking into account the realities and possibilities of the 21st century.

As you can see, our region is full of talented and interested people who believe that the down-knitting craft of the Orenburg region has gained a second life and can and will develop if it is pursued in the right direction. And all the recent events connected in one way or another with the Orenburg down shawl show that the course has indeed been set correctly. For our part, we can only be glad both for the craft itself and for such talented and passionate people who continue to do all they can to bring it to the public.