"Pitsinarratiivid: käsi-töö" ("Lace narratives: hand-work") has been produced by curator Dr Sophie Qiaoyun Peng, photographer Dawa Yangchen and assistant Hildegard Reimann.

The exhibition stems from academic research carried out by Peng, who wrote her PhD on lacemaking in Estonia and in Scotland's Shetland islands, and heritage crafts' status in the community. The photographs of Haapsalu lacemakers and their work were taken last year by Dawa Yangchen, who has previously had images featured in Photo Vogue, National Geographic, and Glass magazine.

Hand-made finely knitted shawls made in the western Estonian city were status symbols in the 19th century, when Haapsalu was known as a resort town in the Russian Empire. A true shawl needed to be so fine it can be pulled through a wedding ring.

Peng fell in love with Estonian knitting and Haapsalu lace in 2015 when she was learning Estonian in Beijing. She was amazed by the "exquisite" designs and delicate handicrafts, completely unlike the "bulky" goods she came across in China.

Peng also carried out academic field work in Haapsalu during her time at Glasgow University and said she felt very welcomed by the community.

"I'm very happy," she told ERR News at the opening of her exhibition on Tuesday. "[As] academics, we spend a lot of time in the libraries and archives writing things maybe only 10 people will read /.../ Now years of academic research have finally made something good for the local community."

Peng said she is pleased that her exhibition will also be displayed in the U.K. next month and that she can help introduce Haapsalu lace to a wider audience.

She highlighted the plans of former Mayor of Haapsalu Dr Hans Alver's (1887-1942) to make the lace famous on the international stage after Estonia gained its independence. However, his ideas were never fully implemented, as he was deported to Siberia during the Soviet occupation and never returned.

"I'm just a researcher, but in some ways, I feel like I am continuing Dr Hans Alver's work," she said.

The exhibition is on display at the Haapsalu Lace Center (Haapsalu Pitsikeskus) until March 31. Between April 24-26 it can be viewed at The Guildhall in Cambridge, U.K. It was funded by the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (USA) and Pasold Research Fund (U.K.).

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