A Stitch in Time - and Place

Since Adam and Eve first felt the need to cover up their nakedness, people have used the leaves of trees, the skin and fur of animals that they hunted, and many other materials in order to clothe their bodies.

During the Late Stone Age, people learned how to sew coverings for themselves from plant fibres. The art of weaving first developed in ancient Egypt, where the cloth we know as linen was first produced. Archaeological excavations have uncovered baskets dating from 5000 BCE - they are of a high quality and the technique used to weave them is almost the same as that used in contemporary basket making. In the course of time, the types of fibres and the innovative techniques used to produce woven materials multiplied, increasing their economic value and gaining market prestige. Words such as panama, jersey, cashmere and bengal entered language, indicating both the place of origin as well as the original manufacturing technique.

The Islamic period in Palestine was renowned for its commercial embroidery work: the men embroidered items that were sold in Europe and the women embroidered articles intended for the countries of Arabia, where products from overseas had prestige. But it was the Chinese who first developed the weaving of delicate fibres, such as the silk produced from the threads of the cocoon spun by silkworms. Anyone who dared to attempt discovering the professional secret was subject to the death penalty. The English, also, contributed to fabrics through their important role in developing and manufacturing wool.

We know of the styles in this part of the world from as early as 7000 BCE and embroidered fabrics are known from 4500 BCE. Making embroidered garments has continued until the present day, as noted by the historian Philip Hathey in his book, "The History of Syria, Lebanon and Palestine," in which he states that in Palestine the population was familiar with weaving techniques and fibres from time immemorial, and it was one of the most common cottage industries for both men and women.

Researchers have discovered remains, dating from the beginning of the third century BCE, of weaving implements made of stone and bone, as well as stone and clay weights used for operating the looms. Needles and pins, preserved in bronze cases, were discovered in Palestine over a century ago. The needles have holes and the pins were long with ribbed or split heads. Well-preserved paintings, discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs, show a group of Canaanites dressed in long robes that cover the body from the shoulder to the knee. These clothes were made of a dyed fabric and have a decoration of contrasting stripes, shown sometimes in wonderful detail. These pictures, dating to 1700 BCE, bear witness to the fact that the art of decoration on clothing (i.e. embroidery) was known at the start of the Middle Bronze Age.

The above short historical survey is, in its own way, an introduction to this exhibition which shows a different attitude to fibres and embroidery. A special tapestry of relationships has been woven between two groups of women artists, a Jewish group and an Arab group. They spend time together over cups of coffee and conversation that wanders from topic to topic while, at the same time, putting into practice an idea that emerged in the studio of one or another. The two groups met every week or two, and developed a relationship that is both social and professional. Although the two groups live in the same country, their cultural and educational background is totally different.

This exhibition brought them together and one of its goals was to reinforce the dialogue within each group itself as well as the interaction between the two groups.

The Arab artists come from a shared heritage of traditional embroidery and have created works comprising elements of classic embroidery and elements added with acrylic and water paints. The results are a tangible expression of the link connecting the past with the present, bringing hidden embroideries into the clear light of the language of plastic arts, expressed in a style that is at once, modern, impressionistic and authentic. The henna, the coffee, the stones, the wood, the earth, the spices, the starch and the ground leaves - these are materials that the artists utilized to create visual art objects that showcase a specific culture with its own past and heritage. They represent a link between each artist and her life, between the artist and her place, and between the artist and her identity. In this age, western contrivances that are foreign to the eastern mentality have penetrated into the eastern home. The Arab artists in this group have made their own protest against our mechanized age in a creatively democratic way that is entirely their own, and in so doing have liberated themselves from subjective egoism and gone beyond the arena of plastic culture.

At the same time, the Jewish artists have integrated so profoundly into the atmosphere of renewed tradition that they found themselves, quite unconsciously, compelled by the need to be together. They met, worked, visited exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the country together with their Arab counterparts, and the influences of the environment and the prevailing atmosphere were decisive factors in shaping the outcome of the artistic temperament.

The needle has played its tune and now a rainbow of colours mixes with the rural atmosphere and with the sweat of the fields, stronger than any city breath. The display depends on a sophisticated game: attracting the observer to look at the works in a contemporary and sober way, while deciphering the abstract meanings encoded in them. The impact of the works derives from the close relationship between hand and needle, from the ways of working with this wonderful tool, and from the use of techniques that have transformed wise sayings into motifs, concepts and symbolic messages.

The work is over and each of the artists has returned to her studio. But without a doubt this exhibition constituted a first step in a shared creative process that is sincere and frank. It must go on, far away from politics and from simplistic media slogans.

Translated by Chana Sterne