This project explored the work and philosophy of the Abramtsevo Estate crafts guild, active in the early twentieth century, with a particular focus on their commitment to reviving the symbolic imagery, materials, and artisanal techniques of pre-Christian Russia. I was especially inspired by the writings and practice of artists such as Mikhail Vrubel, whose approach encouraged a mindful, slow way of making, an ethos I considered essential when engaging with the concept of Design for Good. Through this cultural investigation, I examined the guild’s revival of mythological imagery and regional craft traditions, focusing specifically on textile handicrafts and installations produced at the Abramtsevo Estate, including embroidery, resist-dyeing, and block printing. These techniques formed the foundation of my own experimentation.

The resulting Mythological Creatures print incorporates key Slavic archetypes: the ploughman as a symbol of the earth and agriculture; the Sirin and Alkonost birds as protective talismans for women and children; the Bereginya deity representing the protection of home and family; and the horse, referencing ancient Slavic solar symbols at the centre of the composition. The fabric samples featuring this print were dyed and screen-printed using the colour separation technique to echo Ivanovo chintzes and traditional Russian resist-dyed textiles, before being hand-embroidered in the Vladimir-region satin stitch technique with wool threads. Further A2 variations of the Mythological Creatures print were digitally printed on bamboo cotton.

The process pages for the Mythological Creatures project document the development of the work from research to material experimentation. They include a colour palette developed from secondary research; an A3 gouache painting in the established colour scheme, referencing imagery revived by the artisans of Abramtsevo; and design development samples created using traditional cold-resist dye techniques alongside digitised, colour-separated print variations. The pages also present traditional satin-stitch embroidery samples applied to digitally printed bamboo cotton, indigo-dyed and screen-printed cotton fabrics, and further experiments combining direct dyeing with colour-separated screen printing to emulate traditional Ivanovo-region prints known for their vibrant colours and folk imagery.