Ganieva, Lucia

Lucia Ganieva, Amersfoort, The Netherlands

Lucia Ganieva, Amersfoort

Factory 1

Already during the regime of the czars, the town of Ivanovo, situated some 300 km northeast of Moscow, was the centre of textile industry in Russia.

There were a lot of plants where all kinds of fabrics were manufactured, mostly based on cotton and linen. The town was called the ‘town of brides’ because the population counted almost only women, working in the textile branch.

In the course of time, mostly due to competition of low labour cost countries, such as China, the factories almost all had to close down. At present time only a handful of them are still active, but probably they all will not last very long anymore.

This series is a portrait of one of the last factories, presented by triptychs, combining its interior, the fabrics they work up and the women doing the work.