RESIDENTS will have the chance to enjoy an enlightening series of woven silk works later this month.

Rezia Wahid’s ‘Dancing in the Womb’ exhibition opens on Saturday, July 16 at Whitchurch Silk Mill and ends on September 4. As weaving is on the Red List of Endangered Crafts from the Heritage Crafts Association, this is an exciting opportunity for all who visit.

In 2005, Wahid was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year Honours list for her much-appreciated contribution to the arts in London. As a Bangladeshi born, British weaver she draws influence from her Islamic Spirituality as well as artists Anni Albers, Agnes Martin, Bernard Leach, Mimar Sinan, Junichi Arai, William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement.

SEE ALSO: Young radio presenter from Andover to host on national show this weekend

Further inspiration is drawn from the collective of Japanese kasuri (a traditional folk textile produced in Japan from around the 18th century), the well-known ethos ‘less is more’, body movements, poetry, the historical Bangladeshi muslin and Jamdani technique are the resultant of Wahid’s works that she very much makes her own, while sharing her experiences and adventures through motherhood.

‘Dancing in the Womb’ comprises a series of six hand-woven lengths inspired by Wahid’s experiences throughout her pregnancies and her journey through motherhood. The original textile design was inspired by Wahid’s experiences of her first pregnancy; however it wasn’t until thirteen years later that the pandemic gave her the opportunity to revisit the warp while home schooling her four children.

READ MORE: Andover bingo hall could close its doors following sale of site

Wahid found herself in her garden home-studio with nothing but her children as inspiration. Thanks to her children’s artistic and creative enthusiasm, Wahid once more took out her weaving tools, coming across the long-forgotten silk yarns in the process. She set up her nine-metre-long warp, each metre representing a month of her pregnancy and added to this, incorporating colour, shape, movement and form, including memories of carrying her other children.

Wahid incorporated her fine silk yarn experiences with the interplay of colour to create five more pieces that look similar but are by no mean the same.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a public engagement programme including workshop tutorials with Rezia, a guided artist talk and a special outdoor performance on August 20.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story. We really appreciate your support.

Please help us to continue bringing you all the trusted news from your area by sharing this story or by following our Facebook page.