Studio Pratha is an experimental creative incubator where contemporary artistic inspirations meet hand-loom weaving techniques traditionally practised in the ancient mountain community of Sarule, in the heart of Sardinia. This all-female enterprise is the brainchild of Graziella Carta, who in 2016 decided to contribute actively to the preservation, promotion and transmission of a craft with an extraordinary historical and cultural value. When she created Studio Pratha, only a handful of weavers, all aged between 70 and 90, were continuing the tradition of narrating the identity and cultural heritage of their region through their textiles.
The production remains firmly in the region of Barbagia, far-removed from the glamour of the Emerald Coast. The master weavers create Pratha artworks in their homes - as they have done for hundreds of years - using only Sardinian sheep's wool on vertical looms, without the aid of any mechanical tools. Due to its complexity, the production is limited to a couple of centimetres every day. As the weavers make only one-of-a-kind pieces, the process is further lengthened by the study of each individual design, which the craftswomen skilfully translate into tapestry.