From Ethnographic research to practice: The traditional «Braditska» necklace invites us to partake of its cultural background.

Experiential Workshop on the Making of the “Branditska” from Ormenio, Evros

The workshop aims to safeguard and transmit traditional local knowledge through experiential learning, and to connect contemporary audiences with the art of beadwork within Greek traditional dress.It combines qualitative engagement with tradition, the body, and materiality in research— an approach to qualitative inquiry that employs material discursive, hands-on and interpretive practices as modes of knowledge production. It creates space for discussion around the types of knowledge that are valued within qualitative research and enables participation beyond conventional, text-based academic presentation.

The workshop is structured into two distinct yet complementary parts, combining a theoretical introduction with an experiential, hands-on approach. In the first part, a brief 15-minute introductory presentation will be delivered, focusing on the use of beads both in traditional jewellery and in beaded decoration of dress more broadly. The presentation will highlight the role of beads as decorative, symbolic, and social elements, drawing on examples from the Greek context, with particular emphasis on techniques, colour schemes, and their cultural meanings.The second part of the workshop, which will constitute the largest portion of the session (1.5 hours), will take an experiential, hands-on approach. Participants, under the guidance of the facilitator, will create a replica of an authentic beaded ornament, the “Branditska” from Ormenio, Evros, applying traditional bead-threading techniques.

The workshop functions as a micro-ethnographic field, where participants do not observe from a distance but actively take part.The making of the Branditska is therefore not simply an outcome, but a process of knowledge production, in which knowledge emerges through the body, repetition and rhythm, touch, and material engagement. Beads, colours, patterns, and techniques operate as qualitative data. The ornament thus becomes a carrier of memory, gendered meanings, local identity, and tacit knowledge that is not fully captured in written form. Furthermore, knowledge production is not individual but collective, taking place within the group as participants discuss, compare, observe one another, and exchange experiences.

Materials:All participants will be provided with a complete materials kit (beads in three colours, specialised thread for beadwork, a beading needle) and a a printed booklet in English with detailed step-by-step instructions for the construction of the ornament (one per participant).

WORKSHOP FACILITATOR