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The Ethnology Notebooks. 2025. № 3 (183), 578—588

UDK [391:746.077](477.82)

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

«SERPANOK» WORKSHOP AS A CREATIVE-EXPERIMENTAL LABORATORY FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF TRADITIONAL FOLK COSTUME

PEREVERTNIUK Ihor

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7111-0678
  • Post-graduate student,
  • Ethnology Institute National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
  • 15, Svobody Avenue, 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: igor.perevertniuk@gmail.com

Abstract. The «Serpanok» workshop emerged during the implementation of an ambitious project aimed at reconstructing the «serpanok» — a translucent linen fabric prevalent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the Dubrovytskyi district of the Rivne region. Initiated in 2011 in Radyvyliv by local historian Volodymyr Dzyobak, the project culminated in a successful presentation. To preserve and expand upon the acquired expertise, Dzyobak established the «Serpanok» workshop, naming it in honor of the completed weaving project. Today, the workshop stands as a unique creative collective dedicated to reproducing traditional folk clothing from Volyn and Polissya.

The research focuses on the ethnic and artistic phenomenon of workshops dedicated to reproducing Ukrainian folk attire. Specifically, it examines the emergence and operational dynamics of the «Serpanok» workshop. The objective of the article is to analyze this phenomenon through the case study of the «Serpanok» workshop.

The primary sources for this study include an interview with Volodymyr Dzyobak, the workshop’s founder and director, and photographic materials gathered during interviews conducted at the Ladomyriya Ethnopark sites. The study’s novelty lies in the author’s fieldwork and the analysis of the Ladomyriya Ethnopark’s activities, emphasizing its creative and experimental component — the «Serpanok» art workshop focused on reproducing traditional Ukrainian clothing. Methodologically, the research employs a systematic approach, utilizing interviewing, comparative analysis, structuring, and critical analysis techniques.

The relevance of this work is underscored by the fact that workshops dedicated to reproducing traditional clothing remain a relatively underexplored ethnic and artistic phenomenon in the 21st century — a period marked by rapid cultural globalization and homogenization. The establishment of such workshops responds to the pressing need to preserve national identity, with folk attire serving as a significant marker of cultural heritage.

Keywords: Ukrainian traditions, traditional clothing, creative workshop, Volyn, Polissya, weaving, embroidery.

Received 9.05.2025

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