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.
Anil Advani, who has been helping us so much in photographing Surayia’s work in Bangladesh, recently joined Surayia and others at the US Embassy in Dhaka to document the two nakshi kantha tapestries that Surayia completed about twenty years ago for the US Embassy building in Bangladesh which opened in 1989.
One of these tapestries is a “one of a kind” piece, designed by Surayia after she had witnessed the cutting of the ribbon at the Embassy inauguration ceremony.
The other is a series of 9 panels based on designs of architect Louis Sullivan. Surayia recollects that the designs were sent to her as small photocopies. She chose the threads and supervised “her girls” to embroider them for the Embassy opening.
Many thanks to the US Embassy for preserving these special kantha tapestries!
(The images are clickable for larger views)
They came to her, over roads and over rivers, for inspiration, for guidance, for work. She is Surayia Rahman, a self-trained, passionate artist who guided hundreds of women from disadvantaged backgrounds to create masterworks – exquisitely embroidered tapestries that have been gifted to dignitaries and are admired in collections throughout the world.
