Entitled "Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery", the exhibition at Cambridge University Museum, curated by Rachel Dedman, features three main garments. The first is a Gazan abaya, which recounts the daily lives of women in the region at the beginning of the 20th century.
The second dress was given to a woman who had to flee her home during the Nakba. Arriving in Ramallah as a refugee with almost no clothes, she made the dress bigger for her by sewing a new section with a piece of fabric coming from an UNRWA flour bag.
The third dress was made during the first Intifada.
"It was a time when you couldn't fly the Palestinian flag, so women had to find more subtle ways to express themselves in political protest. New symbols emerged such as the Cyprus tree, the map of Palestine or the Dome of the Rock" - Rachel Dedman.
The exhibition features more than 40 dresses and embroidered objects from collections in Jordan and the West Bank, as well as related works of art and films. The exhibition will subsequently be shown at the Whitworth Gallery, University of Manchester, from 24 November to 7 April 2024.
Photo: Part of the exhibition focuses on the role played by charities such as NGOs in paying women to embroider items. Copyrights Arab News.