)) Hortus Feminae
The intersection of traditional folk art ornamentation and biofabricated living systems
Research project / Artistic installation: Presented at the Tulipán és Zsálya (Tulip and Sage) exhibition, Hungarian Heritage House (Hagyományok Háza), Budapest, 2026
Curator: Dr. Szilvia Czingel I Art Manager: Ildikó Fazekas I 3D Scanning: Miklós Gábriel, SIDEX Trade Kft. I Costume Tailor: Anita Pálfi I Photography: Zsófia Raffay I Video: Folkudvar
The project is a contemporary reconstruction of an original Matyó traditional costume, where the materiality of folk textile culture meets textiles grown from plant root systems. Originally showcased at the Hungarian Heritage House (Hagyományok Háza) as part of the Tulipán és Zsálya (Tulip and Sage) exhibition, the project aims to create a garment that is entirely organic throughout its full life cycle. While utilizing a radically new material language, it faithfully follows the form, embroidery logic, and layering of the original attire.
From the process
Our ancestors interpreted nature as a blueprint, abstracting and adapting its motifs and systems onto their objects using a human-made toolkit. This time, the direction has been reversed: we adapted a human-made costume to nature’s toolkit, and nature itself manufactured the human attire.
Ultimately, the garment is not merely an interpretation of a traditional costume, but a transdisciplinary work in which folk art, biodesign, craft, and digital technologies have found a common language.
