LONDON CRAFT WEEK: WEAVING IN ACTION 9 - 15 MAY 2022
Today our spotlight at London Craft Week is trained on the practice of weaving and where you can experience it in person. A good place to start would be the Malaysia Pavilion where you can see a 300-year-old silk weaving tradition in action. ‘Tenun’, which translates from Malay as ‘act of weaving’, was originally introduced to Pahang by a Bugis migrant and became a flourishing craft but by the late 1990’s the number of weavers had dwindled to a handful of just twelve. Her Majesty Queen Azizah personally set in motion a multi-pronged revival strategy – including a prison weaving programme - which two decades later is finally bearing fruit. There are currently a total of 313 weavers living in Pahang, some of whom will be demonstrating their skills on a floor loom in the Pavilion. An exhibition, curated by Judith Clark, a professor of fashion and museology at the London College of Fashion, runs alongside, showcasing archival fabrics from the Museum of Pahang and a selection of HM Queen Azizah’s own garment and private Tenun collection. To book your free tickers, click here.
Image: a skilled ‘Tuen’ silk weaver working on a traditional floor loom at The Malaya Pavilion.
In the West End, lifestyle brand TOAST is hosting IKAT weaving and paper making workshops run by textile artist Jacob Monk in response to their seasonal theme, ‘Elemental Compositions’. Cockpit Arts studio-based maker, Monk has made a name for himself with his contemporary IKAT designs inspired by tropical plants and exotic birds exploring wool, cotton and viscose fibres giving a textured finish to the hand-woven fabric. The paper weavings will be made out of recycled paper and materials from the TOAST production process, to reduce impact on the environment in line with the brand’s Social Conscience commitments. No weaving experience is required to take part in the workshops which are being held between Wednesday 11 - Sunday 15 May, 12:00 - 18:00 BST. To book your tickets, click here.
Image: ikat weaving by Jacob Monk.
Further East, in Coal Drops Yard, Swedish fashion label Cos has invited award winning, textile designer Maria Sigma to demonstrate and teach her craft in store. Sigma, who is building a reputation for her ‘zero waste’ hand-woven textiles, uses un-dyed yarn made from sustainable sources - British Alpaca and British wool - to produce her minimally patterned, naturally hued and raw textured cloth which she fabricates into coveted interiors pieces. Sigma is a strong an advocate for hand crafted textiles believing that ‘they create a boundary between us and nature’. The event is free and there is no booking required. To find out more, click here. 
Image: Zero-waste weaver, Maria Sigma. Image credits: Alun Callender.
In the heart of the City of London the mighty power of the ancient Guilds has swung into action with The Experimental Weave Lab (TWEL) to promote the art of passementerie. Classed as an endangered craft by the Heritage Crafts Association it is one of the oldest of all the textile disciplines which has been classed and historically was designed and made in the City. You are invited to come along and immerse yourself in a series of passementerie events including: Clare Hedges’ tassel workshop on 11 May; Jessica Light’s contemporary handmade rosettes demonstration and a behind the scenes look at a weaving studio in St Olave’s Parish hall where exceptional British weavers Elizabeth Ashdown MA RCA, Philippa Brock MA RCA, Sally Holditch and Ismini Samanidou MA RCA are based, on the 12 May. To register for the free events click here.
The next best thing to seeing weavers in action is to hear a talk about them. Artist Christopher Le Brun, who has designed a series rugs made by Afghani weavers using the ancient tradition of hand knotting, is in conversation with Ishkar who worked with Afghani artisans to create these limited-edition pieces. An Afghan rug takes a pair of weavers approximately four months to make; each stage of the process is done by hand from spinning the wool, to making the dyes and weaving, washing and shearing the carpet down to its final finish. The carpets are hand-knotted using Ghazni wool, unique to Afghanistan and known for its luxuriant finish as well as its unique way of absorbing colour which gives the carpets ‘Abrash’; the technical term used to describe the mottled effect given by each strand of wool's subtle variation of colour. 
Image: rugs being hand-made by Afghani weavers using the ancient tradition of hand knotting.
Check our blog again tomorrow for more updates on the London Craft Week.