UAE: UAE and Pakistani women artisans learn embroidery techniques from each other

Building on the ability of craftsmanship to cross cultural and linguistic barriers and recognising its critical role in bridging the gaps between cultures, Irthi’s new upskilling programme aims to enhance and sustain Aboriginal crafting heritage. A cross-cultural effort that thrives on values ​​and connections created through artisanal craftsmanship also resonates with Beyg’s ongoing efforts to preserve cultural heritage through the empowerment of artisans.

Under the new program, female artisans in Bidwa will improve their skills in about 30 dynamic embroidery techniques across Pakistan and will receive 250 to 300 hours of expert-led training over 11 weeks. The Pakistani female artisans accompanying Beyg will learn about the traditional crafts of the UAE, namely: Safafah (palm leaf weaving) and Talli (hand-woven braids).

The recently started skills exchange programme will end on November 11th.

NAMA Director Reem BinKaram said: “Irthi’s new skills exchange programme brings us one step closer to realizing the vision of His Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, His Highness’s wife. [Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and] Ruler of Sharjah and President of NAMA to empower and enrich the skills of Emirati craftsmen by increasing their participation in global craft traditions. “

The NAMA Director added: “Craft is a universal language and the power of individual creativity and expression is essential to elevate the art form. At Irthi, we believe that working with artisans from Pakistan will enable Bidwa artisans to introduce surprise and meaning Unexpected interpretations, thereby stimulating the creation of sustainable cultural ecosystems and taking the extraordinary craft traditions of our rich past into exciting new directions.”

Fashion designer Rizwan Beyg, who worked with Irthi in 2018, praised the efforts of the Emirati entity to propel Emirati traditional craftsmanship into the future. “Modernizing and promoting Emirati craftsmanship through craft intervention skills has allowed Irthi to host several successful exhibitions on the global stage and collaborate with international brands,” he said.

“In the ongoing skills exchange programme, we will impart skills and a variety of embroidery stitches, enabling Emirati artisans to translate these words into the UAE’s footprint using cultural symbols and patterns that depict their unique identity,” he added.

In the first phase of a five-week skills exchange program, skilled craftspeople from Pakistan will train Irthi’s artisans in the basics of sewing, improve their skills with unique embroidery tools, and deepen their knowledge of the basics of Ari and Needle. Understand embroidery. The first phase ended on September 9.

Three weeks of intense self-exploration will follow, where artisans will incorporate Pakistani thread patterns and motifs in Irthi’s Emirati Talli and Safeefah to explore the synergy between the two cultures and crafts. Works created by participants during this period will be evaluated by a team of artisans and experts from Pakistan.

The second stage of advanced training will last six weeks and participants will learn the techniques of making approximately 20-30 types of embroidery, including decorating with beads, stones and gold and silver thread to create ornate patterns and designs associated with Aari and needle embroidery . Irthi artisans will also perfect their skills in applying these decorations to a variety of fabrics.

Intensive training will enable artisans to develop production-level competencies and pave the way for creating sustainable economic independence.

An evaluation will be carried out after each stage, while the scope of decoration is professionally documented for future experimentation and exploration of possibilities for cross-border collaboration. To empower artisans, the 11-week program will also impart soft skills training to improve proficiency in teamwork, creative thinking, conflict resolution, communication and time management.