Spectacular flower crowns make a comeback in Ukraine

July 7, 2020

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Flowers, feathers, hemp threads, shells, beads, even pieces of foil and wax–these are just a few of the items that Ukrainian artist Dominika Dyka weaves into her modern re-creations of the traditional Ukrainian vinok (wreath or crown).

Worn for centuries by girls and young women to symbolize purity and fertility—and a mainstay at festivals and weddings—the wreaths are believed to have pagan origins that predate the introduction of Christianity to the Eastern Slavic world in the 10th century. Today, however, they are part of a resurgence of traditional culture that Ukrainians are embracing in daily life—modernized with both a proud history and a bright future in mind.

Dyka’s versions—made with collaborators at her Third Rooster workshop in Lviv, Ukraine—are among the most extraordinary. She bases the designs on newly digitized archival images from museums, as well as archival family photos sent to her creative group of stylists, makeup artists, and wreath masters.

“We use materials that we know have been used before.” The goal, she says, is to breathe new vibrancy into this discovered history, “to show the traditional clothing of Ukraine through modern photography and remove associations with the vintage, faded colors of old photos.”

“You need to understand not only the symbolism of plants,” she says, but how they freeze, dry, and “behave without water”, says Prushko.

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