Material Power

Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery

Since I saw Arachne’s blip last year https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/3142251896442455194 and found that the same exhibition was coming to the Whitworth, it has been in my diary.

Today I made it. We got a train to Manchester and a bus to the Whitworth. We’ve been going to the Whitworth for many years - a wonderful place. In 2015 it underwent a complete transformation and was the Art Fund’s Museum of the Year. Astonishing spaces and light. Just look at the glorious café (Extra).

The Palestinian embroidery was incredible - such design, stitching and colour. It was hard to move from one garment to another they so needed careful study. And it wasn’t just the range of garments and textiles, it was an exhibition showing the political stances that embroidery has taken. A film captured a group of ladies talking about their embroidery and what it meant to them. They were trying to keep the culture alive despite being displaced and away from their homeland. And this was before recent events - I wonder what has happened to these ladies now . . .