The 1st training Lab took place on Kimolos island on the 25th of January 2024, with the participation of 17 students from Kimolos High School, Kimolos Lyceum, and three students from Milos island who accompanied Agatha Rodi along with their professors at Psathi Port. They had the chance to be informed about the traditional Kimolian technique of “Kalamoplektiki”, created with Nikos Ventouris (Bohoris) and his father Mr. Giannis Ventouris, and his teacher, a traditional piece of handmade straw ceiling cover.
Nikos Ventouris started with a historical flashback initiating the students to his family’s tradition in creating straw ceilings for over 100 years in Kimolos island.
In the photos, you can see how students clean them, as well as pounding every straw into specific parts to make it open in four pieces. Students were delighted to find out how weaving as a technique has its secrets. Mr. Giannis Ventouris explained how difficult it was in the past to weave the straws on the sand and shared with us how he kept dealing with the straw making.
Students got valuable feedback while satisfying their curiosity and were challenged by the training.
