Thanks to the Textile Research Centre Leiden for this article about Surayia Rahman and her role in the revival of kantha in Bangladesh. Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood and Willem Vogelsang are experts and proponents of textiles from around the world and the knowledge that they assemble at #TRC-Leiden is impressive.
The iconic photo in the TRC article is by @Anil444Advani, a friend of Surayia and one of the earliest supporters of THREADS.
#Bangladesh #Nakshikantha #SurayiaRahman
Posted by Cathy and Len
In this time of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, watch an inspiring film. The Bangla-dubbed version of THREADS is now available online for free for two weeks, until April 20.
You can see THREADS on Vimeo.com at this link.
সুরাইয়া রহমান ভারত বিভাগের পর তার পরিবার, শিল্পকর্ম, এবং প্রিয় কলকাতা থেকে বিচ্ছিন্ন হয়ে বাংলাদেশে গরিব মায়েদের গল্প বলার নকশা সেলাই শেখানোর মাঝে নতুন জীবন খুঁজে পান.
শিল্পের শক্তি আর সারা বিশ্বের নারী ও মেয়েদের ক্ষমতায়নের অনুপ্রেরণাদায়ক উদাহরণ, থ্রেডস আমাদেরকে একজন শিল্পী রিদয়ে ঘনিষ্ট এক যাত্রায় নিয়ে যায়, আর মর্যাদা ও স্বাধীনতার এক অগতানুগতিক পন্থার জয়গান করে.
Torn from her family, her paintings, and her beloved Calcutta after the partition of India, artist Surayia Rahman finds a new life in Bangladesh teaching impoverished mothers to embroider her story-telling designs.
An inspirational example of the power of art and the impact of empowering women and girls around the world, THREADS takes us on an intimate journey into the heart of an artist and celebrates an unconventional path to dignity and independence.
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The original version of THREADS, in English and Bangla with English subtitles, is available for rent on Vimeo On Demand at this link.
Many thanks to Tanveer Alam Shawjeeb and Dina Hossain for their work on the dubbed version, and to the Cosmos Foundation, the Mary Redman Foundation and many others for their support of this part of the THREADS project.
Posted by Cathy
Thank you to our friends at ClothRoads for the recent blog post about making THREADS. We were happy to share some behind-the-scenes stories about how the documentary was created and some of the challenges and serendipity involved. THREADS took five years to make … and the story is still continuing! The blog post also has images from the earliest stages of film production to the final version of THREADS. Thanks, as always, to Anil Advani for his photographs of Surayia Rahman and the artisans she worked with for 25 years to create exquisite embroidered nakshi kantha wall hangings.
Be sure to take a look at all of the ClothRoads website to experience textiles from around the world. The site is a global textile marketplace where you can obtain unique items and whet your appetite for travel to see them being made in person. The blog contains articles that you won’t find elsewhere, offering insights into textile creations and creators. If you have an interest in world textiles or meaningful travel, the ClothRoads blog is a must-read.
Filming at Surayia’s home