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#kazakhstan #culturalheritage #embroidery

-Script-
My name is Kusankyzy Gulzhai. I do traditional Kazakh Embroidery Bis- Keste. Kazakh nation is one of many nations that are wealthy with their decorative applied art, that was transferred from generation to generation, from mother to daughter. In old times, each Kazakh girl aspired to learn not only embroidery, but also every type of Kazakh female art. I’ve also learned it from my mother and elder sisters.
Kazakh people’s nomadic style of life contributed to forming specific formation of Kazakh ornament, that’s why images of animals, birds on fauna itself is so popular in it. In old times, grandmothers perfectly mastered all wealth of Kazakh ornament. For example, the ornament I’m stitching right now is called “Kus Kanat” (bird’s wings) and
“Koshkar muiz”) (ram’s horn). Patterns related to animal world, and especially to domestic animals that called “Tort tulik Mal” (Four types of cattle) are very popular in Kazakh Ornament. Knowing the traditional canon of construction, old-time grandmothers never used any blueprints of ornaments, but they were building it in their minds. Almost whole space of Yurt was decorated with embroidery: especially popular were “Tuskiiz” carpets. Curtains and “Baskurs” (ribbons) were also embroidered. National clothes were also richly decorated with embroidery: “Shapans”, vests and so on. Bis- Keste embroidery itself – is very difficult and labor-intensive technique, that requires high skill and enormous patience. For stitching, masters firstly chose thick fabric and colorful threads. Fabric was tightened on special frames, called “Kirgish”. Then ornament was contoured and the embroidery process was started.
Kazakh traditional embroidery in general, and especially Bis- Keste technique – one of the struggling types of Kazakh applied art. We’ve already noticed, that it’s very difficult and labor-intensive, but anyway, we aspire to transfer our mastery to growing generation in contemporary reality. We do it to keep this high art from vanishing.
If we apply to the Kazakh ornament – we’ll see it’s very wealthy and it has got a lot of types. Each pattern in Kazakh culture has its own meaning. For example, if we apply to circular pattern – it symbolizes the sun.
My name is Muhamedjan Zeinelhan. I’ve doing traditional Kazakh Embroidery Biz Keste for about 30 years. My workshop friends and colleagues call me the father of new direction, that synthesizes traditional techniques of decorative-applied art and especially traditional embroidery Bis- Keste and modern fine art. I spend every day doing embroidery.
If we speak about work that I’m doing right now – I’ve thinking about idea of one composition for a long time. To begin with, what I do first is carefully thinking about of my composition. Then, I transfer it to paper. And later, only if like it, I apply it on embroidery canvas. Now I want to show you how I apply the sketch on an embroidery canvas.
This is how I’m transferring the sketch to canvas using tracing paper.
Now I’m removing the tracing paper and we can see that the sketch applied to the fabric perfectly.
After the sketch transferred to canvas I’m tying the first knot.
That’s the most difficult part being started – embroidery process itself. Perhaps, this work will take about 2-3 weeks long. As you can see right now I’m stitching along the contour of applied sketch – that’s how I should gradually finish my work. I’m starting to work with color. First I define shadows and lights, then the other step of work. Stage by stage.
Traditional Kazakh Embroidery Biz Keste is also common to other neighboring nomad nations. Unfortunately, now it preserved only in Kazakh culture. However, it doesn’t mean that Kazakh people were doing it from dusk till dawn. Nomadic style of life didn’t allow them to do it. Kazakh nomads used embroidery to decorate their houses and clothes. Unique samples of Kazakh embroidery Biz Keste are now kept in Almaty, Astana museums and in other regional museums of republic. There you start to understand which high art was mastered by ancient nomads. In general, technique itself didn’t change: it’s still the same canvas and same hook. All that changed is image, its style and serve. In old days, fabric or canvas was not only homemade but also imported. Threads and fabric were being imported through the Great Silk Road from the west of India or from the other countries. Of course, Kazakhs had their own manufacture of threads, that were used for carpet weaving, but they were absolutely different. For Biz Keste, in general – only imported threads were used.
The specificities of embroidery are dictated by the size of particular item. For example, the common size of “Tuskiis” is 2-3 meters. Time required for making this item variates from 7 to 8 months.

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