In Sardinia, on the island of Sant’Antioco, a unique yarn-making textile tradition from the past history is struggling for survival. It’s the art of byssus, the sea-silk, obtained from the giant muscle shell of Pinna Nobilis, the greatest bivalve mule from the Mediterranean Sea, a shell that is risking extinction since the early 1990s.
Photo: Ecomuseo del Bisso Facebook page
Byssus fiber and a knitted piece
“Byssus cannot be sold nor bought, but only gifted,” says Chiara Vigo, the last “Maestro di Bisso”, (Master of Byssus), the craftswoman who learnt the art of producing this precious and rare yarn from her grandmother. And despite some rare examples of the survival of this craft in the Mediterraneans area, she seems to be the only person who keeps this art alive, taught for 28 generations within her family.
This shell - rough in outer part and inner rich of mother-of-pearl - hosts a tasty muscle that men have been hunting for and octopuses, too. In order to protect itself, the shell produces a special keratin-rich substance that helps to keep the shell sealed. That same substance when getting in touch with water becomes solid in the form of a filament.
Photo: Maria Cristina Pavarini
Tools for byssus yarn making
This special substance can be picked - while keeping the shell alive and preserving it - in very small quantities every year and only in a few months of the year. The fiber that is obtained from it looks like shiny weightless, soft touch golden silk. It can be only hand-carded and hand-spun, and then used for manufacturing precious fabrics or unique embroideries woven with nails between warp and weft.
Photo: Maria Cristina Pavarini
Chiara Vigo embroidering byssus using her nails
Byssus has been manufactured since the earliest days of mankind as it is known to have been first mastered by the ancient Egyptian during the Neolithic, then the Phoenicians, the Israelite tribes and other populations through the Mediterranean. Also, some steps of the Bible mention this very precious fabric ever since worn by kings, emperors and other worthy personalities in the form of finely manufactured garments and accessories.
From about 250 grams of the fiber in its rough form, they can obtain 30 grams of clean fiber that can be transformed into 21 meters of yarns. Vigo has also developed special dyeing techniques that only use natural origin substances obtained from herbs and flowers, then fixed and finished with other chemical-free non-harmful substances.
Vigo created and donated various works to ancient universities, entities, museums all over Italy and worldwide, in-keeping with the DNA of this fiber that is a heritage for humanity and must be preserved. In total, she produced 198 pieces in 54 years.
Photo: Maria Cristina Pavarini
Linen cloth decoded with byssus embroidery woven within the fabric
She also recreated a special piece of cloth, entirely made with byssus that reproduces what very probably used to be worn by King Solomon as she was contacted by a group of Israeli archeologists. It took her five years to produce the small 12 x 15 cm piece of cloth - three to collect the byssus fiber and two to make it. It also took her seven years to produce a man’s tie for her husband, a single seamless piece entirely based upon needle work.
Photo: Ecomuseo del Bisso Facebook page
A reproduction of an antique byssus piece of cloth
A few years ago, she had established a museum in Sant’Antioco through which she could spread information about the art of byssus and the know-how of ancient textile arts, but it had to close as smaller museums had to reach specific turnovers and guarantee economic returns.
Vigo, who is 68, is the last depositary of this craftsmanship. She finances her activities through private offers, while she aims to transmit her art, knowledge and mission to younger generations. She has gathered around her some alumni from different parts of the world willing to learn not only the art of manufacturing and preserving byssus, but also antique crafts like those of hand-weaving - she does on a ’700s old loom - eco-friendly fabric dyeing, embroidering and tailoring, among others.
Photo: Ecomuseo del Bisso Facebook page
Chiara Vigo
“What I am doing is not for me, but for teaching the world a know-how that belongs to the whole mankind and cannot be lost, and for teaching how important it is to preserve and respect the environment. Though, so much
more could be done through a more properly structured activity," she explained while showing kids who come to visit her every day how to hand-weave small bracelets and fabric pieces.
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