Inspirations Inspirations issue 99

In the late 1980s the phrase, ‘Follow Your Bliss’ popped up everywhere. It originated with Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist whose books examined the impact of myth on the human psyche. He believed, “If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are—if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time.” But what is bliss? While sometimes people equate ‘bliss’ with euphoria, it is the state you are in when doing something that creates within you a deep sense of utter joy and absolute contentment. So, what is your stitching bliss,…

Rangina Hamidi immigrated to the US from Soviet-occupied Afghanistan as a child with her parents. After 9/11 and its aftermath, she felt compelled to return to her country of birth to help rebuild her hometown, Kandahar, where thousands of women, widowed by years of conflict, struggled to support themselves and their families. Using the traditional KHAMAK EMBROIDERY of Kandahar, she started an entrepreneurial enterprise to help the women work within their cultural boundaries, earning a living and finding a degree of self-determination. Thus Kandahar Treasure was born. Khamak embellished textiles are part of Pashtun life from birth to death. The first thing that touches a newborn baby’s skin is a khamak embroidered swaddling wrap and scarf traditionally made by the maternal grandmother. Girls are taught to embroider from around six or…

GUERNICA , arguably Picasso’s most famous work, depicts the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon innocent civilians. Created in 1937 in protest of the bombing of the Spanish town, Guernica, by European Fascist forces on the orders of Spain’s General Franco, this work has gained monumental status. It became a lasting reminder of the tragedies of war and a powerful symbol of anti-war protest. In the rural coastal town of Hamburg, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, the war was not against fascist forces but against crippling poverty and a rampant HIV/Aids epidemic. CAROL HOFMEYR, artist and doctor, moved to Hamburg from Johannesburg in 2000. “It was the first time in my life that I became involved with people who lived below the breadline. I was confronted…

The first project we were given at the RSN was a stitch sampler. The design and stitches were prescribed but we could pick our own colours. We later learned that this was a test to gauge our sense of colour. The tutors knew they had to teach us to stitch, but they needed to know if they had to teach us a colour sense as well. My work was judged to be too loud and too bright! I did not fit into the muted tone and image of restraint associated with the RSN.” For Jo Dixey, this was the story of her life. She grew up in a village about an hour outside of London where she learned to sew, knit and quilt from her mother and grandmother, and where she…

WHAT’S ON? ACT November 11th 2018 marks the centenary of the end of World War 1 and there will be an installation of 62,000 knitted and crocheted poppies at the Australian War Memorial. The number of poppies represents the loss of Australian lives during this war. If you wish to make poppies for the installation the deadline is August 2018. Further information is available at 5000poppies.wordpress.com and patterns are available at 5000poppies.wordpress.com/poppy-patterns/ The ACT TEXTILE ARTS ASSOCIATION is a not-for-profit organisation of practising artists and hobbyists who are interested in the design and embellishment of textiles. The Association meets on the second Wednesday of every month from 5.30pm at the Woden Seniors Club, Corinna Street, Phillip to share their expertise plus they hold regular workshops. Some of the techniques used are: dyeing, fabric…

Reading this book opens a new world. From the first pages of acknowledgements and introduction, right through to the last sentence, the reader will be mesmerised by the inner strength and resourcefulness of the women portrayed. It is a manifestation of Rangina Hamidi’s original vision – Kandahar Treasure. It shines a light on the region, the tradition, the living conditions, the problems and the victories of the women of Kandahar. It also shines an equally bright light on a unique embroidery tradition and the fine skills of women otherwise hidden from the world. The book is divided into eight chapters, the first three creating context, describing the living conditions and societal constraints - the harsh realities of living in a country where women, in general, have little status, and widows have…