Tbilisi Silk
Stacey Steers, John Romano
Tbilisi Silk is a lyrical short film that explores the city of Tbilisi, the tradition of silk making in Georgia, the life cycle of the silkworm, and the restoration of the 19th century Tbilisi State Silk Museum. The film freely explores these themes, alluding to their intersections and parallels. Tbilisi Silk incorporates archival footage from the National Film Archive in Tbilisi, and images from books found in the Silk Museum collection. In a metamorphosis similar to the silk worms, the museum is re-emerging, restored to its former 19th century stature.
The filmmakers would like to thank curator Lydia Matthews and all the women from the Silk Museum, as well as the U.S. Embassy, for their gracious and generous support of this project and their dedication to the renovation of this important cultural landmark. Additionally, we would like to thank artist Mariam Natroshvili for kindly offering to design the film’s title.
Artists’ Biographies:
Stacey Steers, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is known for her process-driven, labor-intensive films comprising thousands of handmade works on paper. Her award-winning animated short films have been screened in numerous international venues including the Sundance Film Festival; Telluride Film Festival; Locarno International Film Festival; Rotterdam International Film Festival; New Directors New Films, New York; MoMA; The Lincoln Center, NY; and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Past solo exhibitions include the Centre de Cultura Contemporània, Barcelona; George Eastman Museum, Rochester, New York; Denver Art Museum; Museum of Contemporary Art Denver; BMoCA, Boulder, Colorado; and the Cinémateque québécoise, Montreal. See: https://www.staceysteers.com/
John Romano, who currently resides in London, U.K., began his career as an artisan baker and pastry chef whilst studying experimental film at University of Colorado, Boulder, where he first met his art professor, Stacey Steers. After designing bakeries, restaurants and home interior projects in Colorado, he went on to earn his 2020 graduate degree in Interior Display at the Royal College of Art in London, combining his interest in film, food and responsible design. For the past decade, he and Steers have continued to collaborate extensively on animated films and installations.
