Threads of time

For thousands of years, one of the most prolific forms of expression in the world of art was embroidery. The swathes of coarse fabric were the canvas and the long strands of thread tailing through the eye of the needle acted as brush and paint to depict everyday happenings in the lives of women. They would take time out from the daily grind to pour their hearts out on fabric. But their craft is rarely celebrated as art in the way that sculptures, frescoes and paintings are. Now, an ongoing exhibition, Story of Islamic Embroidery, seeks to acknowledge the creativity of their craft.

Presented by the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) of Abu Dhabi at Gallery One in Emirates Palace, the exhibition provides an unforgettable glimpse into the lives of the women who stitched these tapestries.

The 215 rare pieces of textile displayed at the venue cover over 300 years of the sociocultural history for a region stretching from Morocco in North Africa through the Islamic countries of Central Asia, down to the nomadic tribes in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Together, they represent a complex yet cohesive and colourful frame of reference for all viewers to understand the context, lifestyle and aspirations of the people and an insight into how patterns and motifs evolved. Most of the designs and embroidering styles continue to be prevalent in these regions.

The displays, belonging to a single private collection of the AMBA Foundation in Geneva, illuminate the magnificent tradition of embroidery carried on by the rural, nomadic and urban women of those times that helped consolidate their regional, tribal and family identities through this integrated communal activity.

These simple, yet intricate works narrate the story of a vibrant exchange of art and commerce that flourished along the Silk Route from Central Asia to parts of North Africa and how these tribes evolved through their interface with different cultures that created a rich tapestry of life.

From the 17th to the 20th century, the Andalusians influenced the textile makers of Morocco; the Ottomans influenced the artists from Algeria and all across Central Asia there was continual interchange among Mongols, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmen and other tribes. The exhibition shows textiles woven by women from most of the tribes that lived in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, right up to the Berbers in Morocco and tribes in Algeria, spread across to the weavers and embroiderers of urban areas such as Rasht in Iran, down to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Cultural bounty

"The Arab civilisation is the inheritor and producer of astounding cultural treasures," said exhibition curator Isabelle Denamur at its inauguration, "Many of which are still unknown to many. This why, as an ethnologist of embroidered textiles, I have always used embroidery as a way to reveal the wealth of heritage of Islamic art.

"There is more than one way of looking at a textile, because every piece is simultaneously a story in itself and part of a bigger and more complex picture. The world of women's craft is a fascinating yet hidden one, where most women work in the discreet intimacy of the home.

"Embroideries, however, provide us with the perfect gateway into their minds and lives. Behind every piece of embroidery are the efforts, the tears, the laughs and the ambitions of a woman. It is thus a very intimate world that shyly reveals itself, as embroideries are the demonstration and living testimony of what many women can do in their enclosed domestic world."

Walking through the exhibition with Mirinda McKee, a representative of TDIC, I get a clear window into the Islamic tribal ethos of yesteryear. Beyond the technical and aesthetic significance of the art, each work acts as a time machine and I find myself wondering what shy face peeped from behind this tasselled courtyard curtain, or which pretty bride wore this hand-embroidered tunic on her wedding day, what the fate was of the soldier who rode atop a brightly stitched saddle cloth or what fervent plea was made to the Almighty on an intricately decorated prayer mat.

Every inch of this threaded filigree offers a glimpse into the history and culture of those times.The women used colours, textures, beads, glass, metal, locks of hair and motifs from nature to weave life into their labours of love. Every aspect of their embroidery - from the choice of colours, the embellishments and the texture of the fabric - was chosen after much deliberation.

For instance, a bride's tunic in most tribes was embroidered with prominently red and green strands of thread dipped in vegetable dyes.A lock of hair from a child's first haircut was stitched onto a camel's saddle cover because of its talismanic property, meaning the bride who travelled to the groom's home on that camel was protected from the evil eye. In some embroideries tufts of owl feathers were embroidered on to fabric for similar reasons.

The long bridal tunics of the Hazara tribe of Afghanistan were done in intricate phulkari embroidery which is an enmeshed floral design in vibrant colours, something the bride and the other women of the family begin embroidering many years before the event to include in the bridal trousseau.

Maternity tunics of the tribes from Kohistan were stitched out of black material to ward off the evil eye and metallic medallions signifying different kinds of talismans were embroidered onto the dress to protect the mother and child.

An interesting study is that of the different kinds of head robes or chrypy worn by the tribes of Turkmenistan in the 18th century. Women were conscious of their vanity and aesthetically selective of the choice of colours and designs according to their age. The senior women wore head robes predominantly in white. Indigo and other darker colours were used for head robes before marriage as they symbolised chastity. Brighter colours such as yellow and red were chosen for married women. Some head robes also had veils woven out of fine horse or camel hair.

The tunics that went along with the head robes usually had a small cloth envelope stitched on to a sleeve to keep a lock of hair as a talisman. Most tribes of Central Asia used motifs inspired by animals around them. Women also embroidered symbols of animals such as a ram's horns, scorpions, peacocks on their tunics, cloaks, shawls and even tent adornments for their talismanic traits.

The Turkoman women also used other motifs such as latch hooks, curving ram horns, stylised tulip buds and rosettes to embellish their robes. Usually a woman wore coarse clothes and owned just one such fine robe that she used for a special occasion such as a family celebration.

When fabrics tore with the passage of time, women would cut out the thicker pieces of embroidery and later, while making dresses for their daughter or granddaughter, make a patchwork of these pieces of embroidery on a new fabric, thus recycling the older pieces and passing on a significant family heirloom to the future generations.

Tent decorations give us a glimpse into the sociocultural lives of the tribes. There were distinct decorative designs for mapramachs used in the yurts or tents of the Lakai and Kungrat tribes of Uzbekistan in the 18th century. Mapramachs are wool-lined containers with embroidery and embellishments on one side suspended on the lattice work of tents to store a variety of items. They are the older handmade version of our modern-day drawers. Only the front of the mapromach, which was on display for guests, was embroidered distinctly with large designs and pieces of glass and metal used for embellishments. The other side, not in the line of vision of guests, was left plain.

Similarly, long, embroidered bands called segushas were used by the Lakai and Kungrat tribes to hold up pieces of bedding - an indication of their tasteful lifestyle. The segushas were tucked into the bedding piles to form a decorative V-shaped cloth adornment. Horses for the Lokai and Kungrats were symbols of wealth and saddle cloths indicated the wealth of a family. The brighter and more embellished a saddle cloth, the wealthier a family was deemed to be, as it indicated the status and social identity of the rider.

The tribes of Turkmenistan in the 18th century were camel lovers. That is evident in the brightly embroidered covers used to decorate their camels for weddings and other ceremonies.

Besides being pointers to social hierarchy, embroideries also indicated the social expectations a tribe had of its women. Women were expected to be skilled in intricate handwork and tailoring and showcase their talents. Training began when they were very young. For instance, the moment a girl was able to handle a needle and thread she was expected to create her own dowry.

The ilgich are long silk panels in pentagonal shapes trimmed with tassels and string and were used as mirror veils. They were important to the dowry of a young bride in the Lakai and Kungrat tribes. It was believed that mirrors had to be covered, especially during weddings, to ward off the evil eye.

In more urban settings of places like Morocco in the 19th and early 20th century, the malema or teacher would visit homes to instruct young girls on the intricacies of embroidery. The chelligas were a collection of samples of different kinds of embroideries the girls had been taught and were showcased together on a single panel.

The suzani, a large bedcover-sized wall hanging that was part of the bride's dowry, had to be created. This is a densely embroidered pattern with large bouquets of flowers and was common to all urban dwellings of Central Asia. Embroidering was a communal activity which helped the women of the community come together to chat, sing and forge a common belief system.

The nomadic and urban traditions were clearly distinct. Most of the pieces created by the nomadic women of different tribes were vibrant in colour, woven from coarser materials, brighter threads and had vivid patterns and trimmings, whereas the urban pieces were more sophisticated, made on finer silks, with geometric or floral pattern embroidered gold and silver threads, many of which were in pastel or monochromatic shades.

The 20th-century shawls worn by the women of Swat Kohistan (in Pakistan) had zips used as mere decorations and were indicative of the tribes' exposure to traders on the Silk Route who brought in fancy things for their trade.

Women embroidered to hone their handicraft skills and keep themselves busy while integrating with other women of their community. In the late 19th century, men began embroidering for commercial reasons. The most striking case in point is that of Rasht embroideries. These display more modern techniques such as inlay work instead of the use of appliqué, more geometric motifs, symmetrical designs, greater professionalism, precision and sophistication. One of the most common illustrations is the Gulduzi Rasht that narrates the ballad of the love an Iranian king had for his Georgian queen Khorshid Khanum. The beautiful woman was married to the king in the 13th century and for many years most wall hangings that graced the homes of the wealthy featured her embroidered face.

Besides these pieces on display there are several examples of more sophisticated urban embroideries created for utility such as wall hangings, mirror veils, door hangings, curtains, shawls and so on. Like wheels within wheels, each work on display is a story in itself and together the entire exhibition stands as a significant cultural commentary on that period of history.

The director of the cultural department of TDIC, Rita Aoun Abdo, elaborates: "Imagine the extraordinary shapes, colours and textures you see in these textiles forming an immense web, as if they were a single kaleidoscopic work stretching from Morocco in the West to Pakistan in the East. That web is the public story of Islamic embroidery."

The exhibition is designed as a poetic journey in time where every stitch, every shade, every texture will bring the audience closer to the intimate world of embroideries of Central Asia and North Africa.

Fun with Threads

TDIC arranged for over two dozen workshops to encourage interactive sessions with the audience where people were able to create their own embroideries and work with instructors.

One such session was the Weaving with Card workshop run by Cynthia Capriata, a multifaceted art educator from New York. A native of Peru, she is currently an art teacher at a school in Abu Dhabi.

The card weaving was a very simple, yet very engaging and educative session. The first part of the session involved a guided tour of the entire exhibition where Capriata explained the trends and types of embroidery. During the second part she handed out cards cut out from larger cardboard sheets. The cards had notches on either edges on which one could wrap woollen strings in a vertical position. Then one was given a special plastic needle with a large eye through which you could string thick pieces of satin ribbons or woollen strings and weave out the needle horizontally making rows and rows of an intricate weave that resembled a closely knitted rug-like texture.

Many young students, mothers and even men tried their hand at weaving with card sessions with spectacular results. My own experience was very satisfying as the processes were easy to follow and gave me a feel of what kind of skill weaving entailed.

Capriata explains that the workshop is interactive and innovative and has helped the audience understand the essence of the exhibition better.

"By practising a traditional art, we become part of the connection to the past that allows cultures to continue growing. Here, it is interesting to note the similarity in the designs in weaving in different cultures such as the work of Native Americans in the north and Pre-Colombian cultures in the Andes further south."

She teaches art as a framework of thinking rather than a means to achieve an finished product. It means that art can go beyond an aesthetic understanding outside of our everyday life to become an essential cultural way to connect to others. Visit www.artsabudhabi.ae for info on workshops.