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A Weaverly Path
To me weaverly is totally tactile, between my hands and my eyes and my feelings
– Silvia Heyden
Colleges and public libraries: Stream it on Kanopy
Purchase the DVD/BluRay
and Silvia’s book, “The Making of Modern Tapestry”
Good news!! Silvia’s 2022 book, “Movement in Tapestry”, has been released. Learn more here.
Documentary • 2010 • 62 minutes • HD • 16×9 • English
A Weaverly Path offers an intimate portrait of Swiss-born tapestry weaver Silvia Heyden. The film captures the inner dialogue and meditations of an extraordinary artist in the moments of creation. Heyden works for over a year to create works inspired by the Eno River in Durham, North Carolina. And she shares how nature, music, her Bauhaus inspired education at the School of the Arts in Zurich and her life experiences anchor and inform her art. Heyden was a 20th century modernist whose body of work redefines the art of modern tapestry.
Born in Basel, Switzerland in 1927, Heyden was well known and respected in the network of tapestry weavers across the US. Her tapestries hang on the walls of collectors and institutions throughout the world, yet few have had an opportunity to witness the physical intimacy between Silvia and her loom.
Heyden died peacefully at sunset on Monday, March 2, 2015 at age 88 and continued to weave each day at her loom up until her death. After producing more than 800 tapestries, she was always passionate about sharing her philosophy and approach to her creative process and passing on this knowledge to the next generation of tapestry weavers.
Reviews
A wonderful film for anyone interested in understanding the value of a creative life well lived. The film reflects the rhythm of weaving — a slowing down that leads to a deep seeded peace and joy. And it draws us in, to experience a perspective sorely needed in this era of seemingly endless distractions. I especially recommend A Weaverly Path to college and high school level Art Schools, as well as to Fiber Art Guilds and appreciators of fine craft.
Heyden’s work is remarkable. By the end of this absorbing portrait of the artist – marked by gorgeous camerawork and thoughtful editing – viewers begin to truly see Heyden’s interconnected world of beauty, sound, and movement. Highly recommended!
Dalsheimer’s film captures a privileged and intimate slice of time observing Silvia Heyden, providing an unprecedented opportunity to see and hear what she experiences during a period of deep involvement with her Muse, the Eno River.
The power of observation over time. The time Silvia Heyden takes to observe the Eno, to understand its pulses, rhythms, and nuances leads her to a high point in her pursuit of using forms and motifs to represent fluidity in her weaving. The time Kenny Dalsheimer took to observe Heyden in her element, to understand the medium of tapestry and to not rush in the crafting of this film have resulted in a rendering of the creative process that is inspiring and thought provoking.
This warm and uplifting film will appeal to viewers looking for inspiration in their creative activities as we as to art lovers of all varieties.
Dalsheimer’s documentary is an intricately woven texture of images, words and music as contemplative and lyrical as any one of Heyden’s own works. Filmed over the course of a year, nothing about this production is hurried. The experiences of life, which shape a life, are both gradually revealed and poignantly evident as the seasons change and time moves on… rendering this inspiring portrait all the stronger and deeper for that. Like Heyden’s life and work, this is a documentary of considerable integrity.
This sensitive and fascinating portrait reveals the union of creative mind and creative hands that is the sum of Heyden’s work.