Workshop & Solidarity
Motanka: Dolls of Hope, Woven for Peace
An intergenerational and intercultural project blending artistic expression, memory, solidarity and civic engagement. Through the making of Motanka dolls — peace talismans rooted in Ukrainian tradition — participants share their wishes for protection and hope, while forging bonds across generations and cultures.
Project Origins
The Motanka is a traditional Ukrainian doll, made without seams or a face, woven by hand with positive intentions. Once used as a talisman to protect the home, it has come to symbolise resistance, transmission and hope. In response to recent conflicts, our project uses this ancestral figure as a medium of expression for people in exile, while paying tribute to Ukrainian culture.
The Legend
According to Ukrainian folk tradition, the first Motanka was created during a particularly harsh winter, when a young mother fashioned a cloth doll to protect her child. She used old family garments, knotting them together without a single stitch, and at the centre of the body she placed a few stalks of wheat — a symbol of fertility and abundance. On the face, she wove a cross to invoke the Sun and ward off evil spirits. Every knot was tied with positive thoughts and wishes for good health.
This doll became the guardian of the household: it watched over the harvest, protected the children, and carried within it the unity of the entire family.
A Truth for Today
Today, in a world marked by exile, rupture and invisible wounds, we return to this ancestral gesture to weave new bonds. Our dolls are made from fabrics that carry personal stories, from threads shared across generations, from gestures learned from one another.
Every Motanka created in our workshops is a response to violence — a wish, hand-woven, for peace, hope and resilience.
They no longer watch over a single household, but over a social fabric we must mend together — across cultures, across ages, across life stories.
Project Objectives
A cultural symbol transformed into a tool for expression
The workshops pass on a manual craft while celebrating Ukrainian culture. Each participant creates one or more dolls, imbued with an intention of peace and protection.
A space for encounter and rebuilding
Sessions bring together people from all walks of life: refugees, retirees, young people in training… A caring environment is created to encourage listening, sharing and the symbolic healing of wounds.
A solidarity project with real impact
The dolls will be exhibited and sold at the "Le Voyage en Ukraine" festival. All proceeds will be donated to the Ukrainian foundation Holossy ditej (Голоси дітей) — Voices of Children, which supports children victimised by war.
Project Timeline
Last quarter of 2026
Preparation, participant recruitment, fabric collection, communications.
Early 2027
Weekly workshops in Mérignac (media library, community centres, apprenticeship centres).
Late 2027
Solidarity exhibition-sales as part of the "Le Voyage en Ukraine" festival.
April 2028
Final showcase and donation of proceeds to Holossy ditej.
Want to Support This Project?
Join a workshop
Come and create your own Motanka and share a powerful moment of transmission and solidarity.
Donate fabric
Bring fabric offcuts, ribbons, thread or lace — every piece will have a story to tell.
Spread the word
Tell people around you, share our posts, and help us extend the reach of this initiative.
Offer an exhibition space
Do you manage a cultural, community or educational venue? Host our travelling exhibition.
Make a donation via HelloAsso
Support the Ukrainian foundation Holossy ditej, which helps children victimised by war.
Join the volunteer team
Workshop support, embroidery, translation, logistics — every helping hand counts.
Expected Outcomes
100+
Motanka dolls made from fabrics that carry stories
2+
exhibition venues in the Bordeaux metropolitan area
1,000 €
minimum donated to the Holossy ditej foundation
∞
strengthened social bonds, self-esteem and collective memory
Help us go beyond our hopes!
From thread to thread, let us weave a brighter future.