Threads II (2) (2023.16)
Catalogue Record
Collection
Maker
Omeima Mudawi-Rowlings
Title
Threads II (2)
Made in
Hove
Date
2021
Materials and techniques
Uses screen printing, dying and devore techniques.
Dimensions
height: 200cm
length: 150cm
Object number
2023.16
Category
Alt Category
New Positions for the Crafts Council Collection
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Credit
Acquired with Art Fund support, donations by Preston Fitzgerald and Cedric Smith, and Nicholas and Judith Goodison’s Charitable Settlement
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Threads II (2), Omeima Mudawi-Rowlings, 2021.© Omeima Mudawi-Rowling. Crafts Council Collection: 2023.15. Photo: Elijah Serumaga.
Maker's statement
The story focuses on different phases of life from birth to adulthood and the Threads that weave these all together. The story is based on the life of artist Omeima Mudawi-Rowlings but has the feel of a fairy tale; a fairy tale that Western audiences will feel is familiar but which has its roots in traditional Arab folktales and oral traditions.
This newly conceived piece tells the story of Omeima’s journey from Sudan to the UK as well as her journey to accepting her deaf identity. Metaphors around environmental issues will be weaved in: threats to sea creatures, the toxicity of pollution, the healing power of reforestation, and the instant nourishment of clean air. The narrative is not be an entirely faithful rendition of Omeima’s life story, but is inspired by certain elements of her life.
This spoken word performance interweaves Omeima’s life story with traditional tales from the Arab world -- stories about Threads, strings, fabric, clothes. The parallels between Threads and the environment are many: cutting down trees, sea creatures being knotted up in fishing nets (and the denouements of those that are freed), our own lives and wellness being ‘tied’ together with the fate of the earth, and the collective cause of regeneration.
Visually, the various aspects of Omeima’s transformation will be represented by a vast collection of Threads composed of a variety of different fabrics of varying textures to represent the smooth and the not-so-easy patches of life’s river of trials and tribulations, as well as the rich diversity of Earth’s seas and landscapes. A central feature to the exhibition is a waterfall of Threads, made up of a vast range of colours, each representing the various elements of entanglement between a life story and the story of Life.
This newly conceived piece tells the story of Omeima’s journey from Sudan to the UK as well as her journey to accepting her deaf identity. Metaphors around environmental issues will be weaved in: threats to sea creatures, the toxicity of pollution, the healing power of reforestation, and the instant nourishment of clean air. The narrative is not be an entirely faithful rendition of Omeima’s life story, but is inspired by certain elements of her life.
This spoken word performance interweaves Omeima’s life story with traditional tales from the Arab world -- stories about Threads, strings, fabric, clothes. The parallels between Threads and the environment are many: cutting down trees, sea creatures being knotted up in fishing nets (and the denouements of those that are freed), our own lives and wellness being ‘tied’ together with the fate of the earth, and the collective cause of regeneration.
Visually, the various aspects of Omeima’s transformation will be represented by a vast collection of Threads composed of a variety of different fabrics of varying textures to represent the smooth and the not-so-easy patches of life’s river of trials and tribulations, as well as the rich diversity of Earth’s seas and landscapes. A central feature to the exhibition is a waterfall of Threads, made up of a vast range of colours, each representing the various elements of entanglement between a life story and the story of Life.