A PLEA
FOR
CIRCULAR
EXISTENCE

On the northeastern border of Portugal with Spain, the oldest border of Europe alongside the Douro river, we find Miranda do Douro. Walking through the scarcely populated villages we see mostly empty roads and abandoned houses built in schist and granite — it feels like travelling back in time, a portal to crystallised memories of medieval times. Inside these houses we find the forgotten treasure that brought us here: Linen cereal bags, and the women and looms that wove them.

 

When Annelie first laid eyes on the cereal sacks made in the region, she was immediately intrigued by their beauty. The devotion with which those fabrics were made mesmerised her. She decided to get some and transform them into one-of-a-kind cushions and poufs. For her it’s important to respect the original work of the people involved in making these bags, so she keeps them as natural and in their original state as possible — the once forgotten treasures have a second chance at life. And with them, so do the stories, traditions and people behind them.

 

Matilde is 85 years old and started weaving at the young age of 15. Throughout her life she wove hundreds of cereal bags, bed covers, pillows, and saddle bags. In her small workroom we find a big wooden loom by the window, now unused and catching dust. It’s an impressive construction, hand-built by her husband as a gift after they got married. Isabel started weaving at 17, taught by her mother. Now, at 82, her declining health doesn’t allow her to weave anymore. Like Matilde, she wove hundreds of pieces on the loom still standing in her workroom. Her most popular items were pillows and bed covers woven with the Portuguese coat of arms, named “Coroa do Rei”. Families would commission these kind of pieces to be woven with their family name’s initials. Isabel never learnt how to write, but, as she puts it, “I could copy the drawings and motifs”. 

 

Traditionally, most of the cereal sacks were woven in the natural colour of the fibres (white and grey), but the bags found in Trás-os-Montes are full of bold colours, making them unique when compared to bags woven in other regions of Portugal, or even the world. 

 

We wondered about the meaning behind the unique characteristic of these bags, namely the bright colours and patterns. Could it be they represented the colours of the coat of arms of richer families of the area? Was it just the result of the natural dyes made from plants available to them? When we inquired people about it, there was no simple answer. One thing we know for sure: these women were intentional when creating patterns and choosing colours.

 

Despite the mystery surrounding these bags, their beauty is a gift we gladly receive, and thanks to STUDIO AUGUSTIN they have a new chance at life. During her process transforming the bags, Annelie often finds lost cereals still stuck in the corners. She mentions the difference between the colours inside and outside of the bags and excitedly explains how she chooses between the unseen side, with vivid colours, or the side that was exposed to the sun and its muted colours.

 

The important contribution of these women weavers is still visible in some details: the perfect hand-stitching on the seams, the loops attached to the bags with a cord for closure, and the stitching mends to cover holes. The bags that have holes in them don’t go to waste, though, They’re carefully repurposed into poufs and patches to cover other holes in cushions. The transformed cushions can be filled with cork sourced from the south of Portugal, a comfortable and natural material that embodies the Portuguese heritage perfectly.

 

We leave Miranda do Douro with a feeling of calm but fierce resilience. The memories, the people, their stories and their lives are woven into these bags. And just like the empty roads, the abandoned houses and the people from Miranda do Douro, they still stand.

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Text by Tânia Pena

Photos by Joe Hunt