MATERIAL POWER -PALESTINIAN EMBROIDERY AT KETTLES YARD
It is hard not to be moved by the artistry of Palestinian embroidery at Kettles Yard. The serenity of stitching , the beauty of the garments all in such stark contrast to the turmoil of this long enduring culture.
Andrew Nairn, the Gallery Director and the Curator Rachel Denman have visited the country and sourced many of the choices. Of course it is art, but one seldom appreciated as such, as it emerges from such an overlooked and oppressed minority. A life as a Palestinian man cannot be easy but as a Palestinian woman harder still with little power no influence and a culture to cling to , even as it shrinks from view.
The history of the dresses on display is expertly explained throughout the exhibition and as one reads the context of these wonderful designs, one cannot fail to reflect on the difficulty of their production, the scant appreciation they get in the wider world where mass production has inevitably led to less regard for an ancient craft even as its utility fades.
Even in recent times, the beginning of the twentieth century , modern Palestinians began to adopt Western clothes and the plethora of contemporary photographs shows how traditional dress was fast becoming a fun affectation for wealthy members of society even as it stayed with the poorer women until this day.
I was intrigued by the sheer usefulness of these designs. If you have ever wondered what really goes on underneath the dark garments worn by many Islamic women, here is a clue as one exhibit shows how a vast great swath of black cloth is wrapped around an individual female and laden with pockets becomes a secure and helpful way of shopping and moving goods around. All is secured in the all -important headband beautifully embroidered, that ties the presumably weighty burden on to the head.
Yes it is true every village and every region had their own style of dress and there is even evidence of these garments developing a simplified modern streamlined look as time went on. Each place had a significant motif and identity. But for me the loveliest part of the exhibition were the recordings of young people who explained how doing the embroidery, taught to them by older community members, had become a joy , to their surprise, and a source of self expression . One young woman, a reluctant recruit to embroidery told us charmingly she found her imagination exercised in the slow painstaking work . And she called in her own little daughter to tell us how she would learn this skill in her turn as well.
Beautifully laid out with so much to see, this is a lovely unusual show.
