My name is Tibor Kovacs. I live in Hungary in small village with 1700 people. The village name is Mezőtárkány. The meanings of the village name is mead = mező; Tárkány = more than 1000 years old clan name.
I learned the bobbin lace 20 years ago. I created margin/border lace in the first years.
Around 1973-74 I have learned to create fishing net. I made lot of type of net during years. I search the fishing culture past. This way drives me towards to the ethnography. I was interested more and more techniques and old profession regarding folk culture. I have learned to create basket and I have started to create basket and child toy from water plant.
I was in the folk art camp when I met with the lace first time.
Ladies created a small net and these nets was stretched and embroider. I had a big experience to create net I helped ladies to practice net creation technique.
This camp opened my eyes how I can used my prior regarding net creation. After this camp I started to interest regarding lace and I have been tried all type of lace technique. I went to traditional profession school and I got lace maker profession and lace trainer certificates. I have been learning adult’s short or longer trainings in Hungary or in the nearest country sometimes. My favourite the bobbin and the needle (like Halas) lace techniques. I like to work with thick and rash material. Hemp, linen, cable but I used glass, crop, tree, and root.
Nowadays I started to create own planned and modern laces. If something influence, inspires me I try to display in my laces. It means sometimes I’m not working on my laces for months because I need inspiration.
I have been creating my modern laces with very simple technique I would like to show my feelings mainly not my technical knowledge. I minimize my design preparation sometimes I put simple white paper to my pillow. I can imagine the final lace. I usually create pictures; sometimes I create three dimension compositions. When I have been working I can’t focus to the external environment. The time is running during this period.
I have lot of exhibition. I had independent or group exhibition almost European country but I had chance exhibition in Asia.
Unfortunately to sell the laces is very hard so I tried to earn a living to weaving baskets.
Lots of type of lace was found from archaeological record in Hungary but the origin of these laces is not clear. We have some historical data about laces what was made in rich families. The folk clothes with laces mainly came from dealers.
The folk clothes needle laces were made locally. This type of lace has special Hungary version.
To create laces is very popular nowadays in Hungary with other type of traditional profession. Unfortunately everybody trained and create only traditional laces the modern lace very rare.
Until I started modern laces I feel free myself. I found something which make me happy.
