Gojka Pajagič Bregar MA from Ljubljana

The life of textiles hides wonderful, sometimes incredible stories. Textile restorers discover them, and lead us through time by threads and loops. The beauty of times past can find an echo in our consciousness and escape oblivion. The achievements of Gojka Pajagič Bregar are outstanding primarily because she has managed to incorporate the broad palette of detailed knowledge and skills acquired since childhood into the planning of her educational and professional path at different levels, until she achieved the knowledge expected for the very rare and highly sought-after profession of custodian and conservator and textile restorer, for which there is no formal education programme to provide training. She has been employed for a number of years by the National Museum of Slovenia, where she is responsible for the preservation of valuable examples of textile cultural heritage. Gojka Pajagič Bregar studied in her domestic environment design, yarn, sewing, tailoring, knitting and various embroidery techniques. Even after going to study in Ljubljana, where she graduated in art history from the Faculty of Arts, her love of beauty encouraged her to create. Playing with coloured threads would likely have remained a "hobby" had she not discovered the wonderful possibilities which silk can offer the designer. She started to produce hand-made textiles; she began to exhibit her work, and received several awards. This opened the door to professional workshops abroad, and the new knowledge led her to the National Museum of Slovenia, where she is responsible for the preservation of delicate textile cultural heritage.