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TAPESTRIES FROM HARRANIA, EGYPT In September, the Egyptian Ambassador to Ireland. His Excellency, Abdallah Fauad Hafez opened the exhibition entitled "Tapestries of Harrania" which runs through to the 1 lth November and features over 100 original "story-telling" tapestries, some of which are produced by children as young as 12 years of age.
Also in attendance at the opening of the exhibition was Mr Awadly, a member of the family who took it upon themselves in 1975 to establish a weaving workshop in Harrania with the aim of revitalising the ailing local cottage industry and providing the younger generation with an opportunity to develop their traditional talents.
All of the tapestries come from Harrania, a farming village in Egypt, near the pyramids of Gizeh, which is becoming internationally renowned for the tapestry skills of its inhabitants, both young and old.
Even on the night of the official opening the Gallery staff were inundated with purchasers anxious to own pieces of this delightfully stylised craftwork which are for sale, ranging in price from ÂŁ7 to ÂŁ1,900. It is expected the entire contents of the exhibition will be sold by the time the exhibition closes.
What is most unusual about the tapestries, woven in naturally dyed flax and sheep's wool, is that they are designed without formal training, patterns or sketches and using the most simple of looms and tools. The tapestries can be used as wall hangings or carpets. The tapestries created by the weavers range from simple reflections of rural Egyptian life as produced by the very young weavers to the fluid, almost impressionistic creations of the older weavers who take their inspiration from traditional Islamic themes such as the Tree of Life, Creation, stories of Moses and passages from the Koran. The colours used are widely varied, but muted in accordance with the natural dyes available. Indigo, reseda, mader and a wide spectrum of henna shades are all cultivated, garnered and prepared into dyes from the villagers' own gardens.
School's Programme In conjunction with this very special exhibition, the Crafts Council is running a school's progranme involving children between the ages of seven and ten and their teachers. This programme is being held between mid-October and midNovember at various locations around the country and each participating school has been matched with a weaver from its own locality who will act as a special tutor during these four day sessions. The emphasis of the programme will be to provide each child with an educational experience in design and art. Materials, yarns, frames and drawing materials will be provided for the children as will special work sheets. In addition, until November 9th groups of schoolchildren and their teachers will be welcomed to the Crafts Council Gallery to see the tapestries and learn about their origins, who made them and how they were made.
Cyril Forbes with the Egyptian Ambassador Abdallah Fauad Hafez and his wife at the opening of the exhibition
The children will be encouraged to create images of the people and things around them just as the Harranian children do, starting with their school friends. The Crafts Council will provide drawing materials and notes for the teachers to enable them to provide the children with a structured learning experience of the tapestries. With the help of a second set of notes it is hoped that the teachers can do followup work back in class. There are learning opportunities for art, English and geography classes that can be based on a class visit to the Tapestry Exhibition.