Stitching in a pandemic:
Kalila wa Dimna in the community
by Lead Textile Artist Sonia Tuttiett, East London Textile Arts
In this post, Sonia recounts her experience of working on the fables as a community during the Covid-19 pandemic
For East London Textile Arts, it was a new development to work with Dr Rachel Scott on the story of Kalila wa Dimna. The recounting of the tale of ‘The Four Friends’ and discussion of the topics and issues that it raised came before the creation of the textile pieces, which was different from the way that we normally start our projects.
Rachel is an inspiring communicator, and she led a workshop with the embroidery participants of East London Textile arts, the majority of whom are older BAME women living in Newham. She recounted the story and talked about its historical background, and we had some lively discussions that engaged people’s interest before we started trying to bring the story to life through our stitching.
As I reflect back on the experience of running East London Textiles Arts throughout the pandemic, I realise that we were not only considering how to illustrate the ‘Tale of the Four Friends’ through embroidery, but at a much deeper level these stories of co-operation, loyalty and ingenuity related in such a significant way to our collective experience of living through the uncertainty and fear around Covid and the restrictions on freedom it brought with it.
I think that some of the embroideries reflected this, with very individual interpretations coming through. For example, in one design one lady, Kang Sing Fung, embroidered the symbol of the NHS rainbow on the deer caught in the hunter’s rope. This felt very poignant.
Some of the work made by members of ELTA in lockdown during the Covid pandemic
As we worked away at the embroideries, unable to meet in person during lockdown, we found new ways in which to connect, communicate, work together, and encourage one another, centred around our work on the fables.
I started a home delivery and collection service, cycling around Newham (practicing all the precautions of social distancing) to enable members of ELTA to continue their creative work and to feel part of a community. As many of our ladies live alone, they really did appreciate seeing someone and having a brief conversation at the garden gate and I took photographs of them with their work, at a distance, to share with the other members of the WhatsApp group that was set up.
More work by members of ELTA in lockdown during the Covid pandemic
I was working at a foodbank throughout and realised that many women with young children and babies were not able to afford clothing for their children (and furthermore, there were no charity shops open where they could buy cheap clothing). ELTA organised an emergency knitting project (we received a grant to cover materials) and all of our ladies were able to contribute towards this with their skills.
We made over a hundred items, which were all snapped up eagerly. It was wonderful to co-operate on such a worthwhile scheme together, and I think that it really helped people to feel that they were doing something useful and significant in addition to our embroidery pieces.
Coming out of this time, we all have a new story to tell of how we have been affected by the pandemic and its consequences. The embroidery group became very important as a virtual social space through Zoom and WhatsApp at a time when we weren’t able to meet in person. The personal stories of coping, of loss, of family and friends, as well as the embroidery, became the thread that bound us all together.
Without the embroidery and knitting, I think that our conversations would have petered out fairly quickly.
It’s the Kalila stories, the creating and making, the discussion and debate, the positivity of a project to focus on that kept our group alive and able to weather those difficult times together.
