One could say that since you were born your life has been linked with textiles and the textile industry. What influence did your parents have on your present art work, and your choice of career?

Since childhood I'd been observing how my Mom, Kazimiera Frymark -Błaszczyk, did her artistic work. She would take me with her whenever she travelled to paint or weave in the open air. As any child, I wanted to do what she did, and so, when she was taking her paints out and starting to paint the designs of new artistic or industrial textiles, I would do the same. But my Mom would always surprise me with her abstract visions. It was an interesting and colourful world, but difficult to understand. I would listen very attentively and with great interest each time she commented on her own designs, but many years had to go by before I understood this beautiful language of textiles.

Textiles and knitted materials were also a common conversational topic in our house because of my Dad, Zbigniew Błaszczyk, a textile engineer, who would often talk about new technologies and yarns that were being introduced to industrial production. Mom, as an artist and textile designer, was very much interested in that.

My parents and teachers noticed artistic abilities in me, the ease with which I would render the world around me on pieces of paper, so they guided me along that path. The further choice was obvious - textiles.

You got an invitation from Iberoamericana University, and left for Mexico, where you ran Knitted Material Design Studio. Also, you were in charge of Research and Education Centre for Textiles at the Institute of Culture, established by Roza Luz Marroquin, and you carried out your own 3-year programme as part of the Diploma Studies for Textile and Fashion Designers. What are your recollections from that period? How did it affect your career and art work?

The stay in Mexico was a wonderful experience; first of all, in artistic terms. I had the good fortune to meet many great artists. Mexico is not only an interesting and beautiful place for tourists, but also a paradise for someone who loves textiles. The unique abundance of colours, patterns, techniques, and the diversity of fibres which are used depending on the region, inspired me to learn more about the subject, and to create my own textile collection. So I started working on the series of textiles which I entitled "The Robe".

At the same time, I was running the Centre for Textiles at the Institute of Culture in Zacatecas, and was trying to preserve this remarkable heritage. The academic curriculum of the Diploma Studies for Textile and Fashion Designers included topics directly related to the weaving tradition of Mexico. My goal was to evoke as much interest as possible in textiles. So, apart from teaching, I organized exhibitions, conferences, courses in textile and fibre techniques as well as meetings with artists. One of the major tasks turned out to be the cooperation with the craftsmen, weavers from Villa Garcia.

It was for them that I undertook to reconstruct the patterns and colours of that region. What was useful was the archeological documentation of the ceramics covered with patterns, rock drawings, and also the recognition of regional plants which could have been used as natural dyes. On the basis of that, a series of projects were carried out by the guest artists from the State of Zacatecas, and by myself. These textiles acquired a new meaning - Villa Garcia became a place recognized not only for its production of industrial textiles, but also for the works of art which were taken to art galleries and auctions. My textiles decorate the office of the governor of the State of Zacatecas.

You worked as a fashion designer for Z.P.Dz. "Luxpol", created purely artistic works, and took parts in many exhibitions. What are the differences between working for industry and working on artistic textiles?

In both cases, knowledge and involvement is necessary. If I choose to make designs for mass production, I primarily need to know what are the technological possibilities of carrying out my projects. I need to have good knowledge of current tendencies and fashion. I need to think about the users: who are they and what do they like?

In a nutshell, it's about picking up the most important information from the world around me and processing it into designs. It's hard and tiring work, but, at the same time, it's very interesting and it gives one a lot of satisfaction. It's especially nice when I meet an acquaintance who has chosen and wears my design, not knowing that I'm the designer. This is great experience. But, since I'm one of those who get really involved in their work, I can't design and create art work at the same time. So I made the decision to get more involved in artistic work. The time that I used to spend finding out about new trends and technologies in the industry, I can now devote to reading about art, following current exhibitions, thinking about what is most important to me and what I want to share with other by means of my textiles and paintings.

What is teaching for you?

It's continuation of what follows from my artistic and technological experiences, and my observations. It's motivation to pursue knowledge and analyze achievements. In my opinion, conducting classes within the scope of art is not just teaching and evoking interest in the subject matter, but first of all, it's discovering the individual sensitivity of a student and helping him/her to develop it. I'm glad when students want to make their own decisions as to the choice of means of expression and layout. My task is to help choose the best version of a given project and help with carrying out.

Your art is batik, paper and space - what do you like the most and why?

I'd always liked batik, and really wanted to learn it. What helped me here was my post-Master's programme in printing textiles in the Danish Designskole, and then a course in batik conducted by Matilde Brena in Mexico. Initially, I used this technique on paper, and I made the first works on silk, combined with painting, as late as in 1996. It was after I saw the exhibition entitled "Painting on Silk" by Wojciech Sadley, Stanisław Trzeszczkowski, Krystyna Arska-Perepłyś and Grzegorz Pabel.

This was large-scale painting I had never seen before - the colours, filminess, softness and sheen of the silk fabric transformed the interior of Museo Amparo in Puebia into a remarkably cozy and people-friendly interior. What enchanted me most, and what I still appreciate in batik and painting on silk, was the intensity of the colour, and its brightness, which probably can't be achieved with any other visual-art technique except for stained glass. These are my favourite techniques which I use for most of my works.

And what do contemporary students seek when they choose textiles?

Everyone chooses what they like, what is close to their hearts, what they feel good with. And this rule also applies to artistic textiles. They're very pleasant in reception, they give a sense of naturalness and warmth, pleasant touch and colour. Textiles have held a very important position in the Polish tradition, from tapestries and carpets in old Polish interiors, through kontusz sashes, and then remarkable kilim carpets (the 1920s-30s) to the achievements of "Polish School of Textiles" on the international arena in the 1960s-80s. I think these arguments are strong enough to persuade one to choose this branch of art.

Polish artistic textiles from the last 50 years mainly demonstrate innovative solutions with regard to the texture and the form, the introduction of unusual materials and technological solutions. Its connection with traditional kilim carpets has been giving way to modern art. This tendency affected everyone - both artists and students. The students, being mainly interested in experiments, often disregard traditional weaving skills and the rules governing weaving.

Together with my Mom, we run the Artistic Textile Studio in the Faculty of Art at The Poznan School of Social Sciences. This year, to our surprise, the students requested a course in basic weave types. I think coming back to skills makes sense.

What future is there for artists dealing with textiles? What career paths can they choose?

The Polish word 'tkanina' (Eng. 'textile') has many meanings. It brings to mind weave, an industrial product and a work of art. Probably each of us, hearing the word, imagines something different. It seems to me that what helps clarify the various meanings is the structure of the Faculty of Textile Art and Fashion Design at the Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Łódź. The division into particular art studios is very clear there - Fashion Studio, Jacquard Studio, Textile Printing Studio and the Studio of Gobelin Tapestry, Carpet and Artistic Texiles - gives a full picture of the different technology and functions of textiles.

Beginning their second year of studies, the students need to make an important decision - which design and art studios they want to choose. Frequently this decision affects one's whole professional life. Choosing a design studio, the students prepare themselves to work in production enterprises. They learn how to design textiles on the basis of available technology and software. Depending on their choice, they may become designers of carpets, upholstery, curtains or textiles and knitted materials used for producing clothes.

Deciding to study in the Artistic Textile Studio, we decide to rely on our own creative and managerial skills. Artists making their own very complex textiles in the tranquility of their art studios make their own choices about which project they want to carry out, with what materials, at which exhibitions the work will be presented and to whom it will be sold. Most frequently they offer decorations for the interior of houses or public buildings. Artistic textiles fit all types of interior and it carries unique artistic value, soft and natural texture, and adds a sense of warmth to the cold smooth walls of contemporary architecture.

"Łódź from the past" is a textile-industry town, "Łódź today" is looking for its identity. What is the significance of textiles in Łódź today? What place do they occupy?

Today textiles in Łódź are more associated with works of art, and not, as it used to be, with industrial products. This has been caused not only by the decline of the textile industry in Łódź, but also by the activity of the Central Museum of Textiles and the Academy of Fine Arts, and many remarkable artists creating their works in our city.

The characteristic events in Łódź are very interesting exhibitions of contemporary and historical textiles in the Central Museum of Textiles, but, above all, the International Tapestry Triennale, which is one of the most prestigious events in the world concerning artistic textiles. The Museum also organizes educational activities for children and teenagers, cooperates with many Polish artists and artists from all over the world, art historians, ethnographers, technologists and everyone interested in textiles.

The Academy of Fine Arts is a place where talents blossom, where heated discussions lead to the emergence of new trends, where theory and practice regarding weaving challenge each other. It's a special place, eagerly visited by foreign guests. It is here that textiles are treated as Art and to be equal to graphic arts and painting. Every year the Academy accepts foreign scholarship holders, who choose Łódź in particular to learn about the value of artistic textiles and the art of designing them.

At this point I cannot overlook the role of Łódź artists. Without their activity, there would be no Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, and the Museum of Textiles would have nothing to present at their exhibitions. I'd like to draw attention to the works of my Mom, the first artist in Łódź to make a Gobelin tapestry; the works by Włodzimierz Cygan, who undoubtedly is the master of techniques and composition; the subtlety and preciseness of the works by Konrad Zych; the variety of weave types in the works by Bolesław Tomaszkiewicz; the concept of rhythm dealt with in the textiles by Krystyna Górska and Elżbieta Kędzia; three-dimensional textiles by Małgorzata Siwek, Małgorzata Wyszogrodzka and Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak; and the works of many, many other outstanding artists, great artist weavers - the contributors to Łódź, national and international culture.