Rúcho
2017
Rúcho is a traditional old-slavic name for a duvet.
This project is devoted to the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia (Czechoslovakia was founded in the year 1918, today exists as two independent countries, Czech Republic and Slovakia).
The inspiration for this project is marriages between Czechs and Slovaks. Before Czechoslovakia was divided in 1993, these marriages were pretty common as it was still one country. After the division of the two republics, the marriage between Czech and Slovak became a union of two foreigners from two different states. This project has has a very strong personal and intimate character. I am married, I am from Czech Republic and my husband is from Slovakia. Through our marriage, we have reconnected Czechoslovakia on a very personal level. After searching in my husband’s family, I found out that it is a pattern that has been repeated several times - the Slovak married a Czech!
Rúcho is about the exploration of the traditional Czechoslovak weddings from the beginning of the 20th century, the time when Czechoslovakia was founded. Duvet played a very important role at the wedding, it was a bride’s dowry. Before the first honeymoon night, these duvets were covered with different seeds as symbols of fertility. People believed that this magical ritual helped the newlyweds with conceiving a baby.
