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bias & contributors bias & contributors The lavish excess of ornamentation in the embroidery practised by the Spanish Lagartera might be considered an anathema to someone educated within Bauhaus principles of modernism, but in this issue we see that embroidery is far more than simply a way to embellish cloth. It is also an encyclopedia of history. In the case of the Lagartera, it is the embodiment of Jewish, Muslim and Catholic influences on the history of a place. A similar layering of material archaeology is evident in the contrasting patterns played off against each other across the globe in the portraits of Corina Gertz, which elevate community over individuality. Bringing us up to date, Claudia Muñoz Morales introduces us to the ways in which embroidery artisans across Mexico are using the rich cultural history found in their embroidery to uplift communities. This is echoed in a project initiated by the designer Larissa von Planta who is working to bring new life to pre-loved clothes and a new future to Palestinian refugees living in Lebanese refugee camps through embroidery. The embroidery produced in Palestine is famed the world over and in the run-up to the holidays, it seems appropriate to include an in-depth look at embroidery from Bethlehem by Dr Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood. Staying in Palestine, Annie O. Waterman explores the once thriving craft community, now struggling to overcome the obstacles caused by conflict in the region and finds resilience and hope for the future. Political instability can bring about unexpected and engaging art. It can influence an individual artist’s career for a lifetime. Geopolitical and social upheaval, including the war in Ukraine, has shaken European artists – those who fled Europe, those who worked under repressive regimes and those who live there now. Rhonda Brown provides an overview of work impacted by political instability. On the ground in Kyiv Dr. Mariëtte van Beek and Gisela Duetting report on the groundswell of interest in Ukrainian traditional embroidery that has emerged during the last nine months. Finally, in a reflection on our changing society, we consider the future of textile education, static since the Bauhaus opened its doors in 1919. In a world where our relationship with cloth has changed radically, textiles have taken on a greater significance in our lives and are even more important for our future. Is it time to re-evaluate the role of textile education and how it can best serve our society today? Thank you for your continued support – I really appreciate it. Polly Leonard, Founder SELVEDGE 4
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issue 109 Rise Up r o t t a Gj o n e s. P h o t o b y To m s e L o r k b y Å W We asked our contributors: How do textiles enrich and elevate your life? Rhonda Brown p.66 I have the good fortune to live among dozens of handmade works of art – woven, plaited, pieced. A favorite is the elemental stitch in embroidery. It moves me on a visceral level – in stitched drawings by Caroline Bartlett, jeweltoned geometric embroideries by Scott Rothstein and Heidrun Schimmel’s blizzards of white stitches on black silk. Maybe it’s the confluence of hand, heart and eye. Maybe it’s the memories stitching triggers – personal and historical. Mine goes back to the ‘Now I lay me down to sleep’ sampler I had as a child, embroidery offers a sense of coming home. Annie O. Waterman p.54 When looking at a textile, it's tricky to pinpoint what draws me to it. Sometimes, it’s the design. More often though, it’s a sense of the human hands that produced it and my curiosity to know more about the maker. For me, textiles communicate identity. You can better understand a society’s cultural heritage by examining their textiles. They tell stories that are shared between people. A piece reflects something – whether it’s emotions, histories, values, or memories. Textiles become living treasures, time capsules that express something beautiful about who we are and the past woven within and between us. Liz Hoggard p.40 Growing up in the West Midlands in the 1970s, there wasn’t an awful lot of colour and adornment. In my mind, the 1970s is a grainy monochrome movie. But visiting my grandmother, I adored going through her dressing-up box, full of embroidered and appliquéd fabrics. Even today I have a magpie attraction to shiny things – a longing perhaps for a childhood that never quite existed. Fortunately maximalism is having a moment – so I’m out and proud. Pattern really is lifeenhancing. No. More. Monochrome. SELVEDGE 5

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bias & contributors bias & contributors

The lavish excess of ornamentation in the embroidery practised by the Spanish Lagartera might be considered an anathema to someone educated within Bauhaus principles of modernism, but in this issue we see that embroidery is far more than simply a way to embellish cloth. It is also an encyclopedia of history. In the case of the Lagartera, it is the embodiment of Jewish, Muslim and Catholic influences on the history of a place. A similar layering of material archaeology is evident in the contrasting patterns played off against each other across the globe in the portraits of Corina Gertz, which elevate community over individuality. Bringing us up to date, Claudia Muñoz Morales introduces us to the ways in which embroidery artisans across Mexico are using the rich cultural history found in their embroidery to uplift communities. This is echoed in a project initiated by the designer Larissa von Planta who is working to bring new life to pre-loved clothes and a new future to Palestinian refugees living in Lebanese refugee camps through embroidery. The embroidery produced in Palestine is famed the world over and in the run-up to the holidays, it seems appropriate to include an in-depth look at embroidery from Bethlehem by Dr Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood. Staying in Palestine, Annie O. Waterman explores the once thriving craft community, now struggling to overcome the obstacles caused by conflict in the region and finds resilience and hope for the future. Political instability can bring about unexpected and engaging art. It can influence an individual artist’s career for a lifetime. Geopolitical and social upheaval, including the war in Ukraine, has shaken European artists – those who fled Europe, those who worked under repressive regimes and those who live there now. Rhonda Brown provides an overview of work impacted by political instability. On the ground in Kyiv Dr. Mariëtte van Beek and Gisela Duetting report on the groundswell of interest in Ukrainian traditional embroidery that has emerged during the last nine months. Finally, in a reflection on our changing society, we consider the future of textile education, static since the Bauhaus opened its doors in 1919. In a world where our relationship with cloth has changed radically, textiles have taken on a greater significance in our lives and are even more important for our future. Is it time to re-evaluate the role of textile education and how it can best serve our society today? Thank you for your continued support – I really appreciate it. Polly Leonard, Founder

SELVEDGE 4

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