Watch our webinar with Hany Abdel Kader and Mohamed Abdel Wahed, two Egyptian master-stitchers who will demonstrate their ancient craft.

This webinar has been made available by The Barakat Trust and its supporters. Please consider supporting the work of The Barakat Trust by:

Making a donation: https://barakat.org/support-us/donations/

Becoming a member: https://barakat.org/support-us/membership/

ABOUT THE WEBINAR

The craft of appliquework (similar to quilting) has flourished in Egypt for at least 1000 years. Traditionally used to make magnificent ceremonial tents and banners, today the craft has evolved into an art form that produces intricate home furnishings and wall hangings inspired by the heritage of Egypt and places further afield. Listen and watch two master craftsmen, Hany Abdel Kader and Mohamed Abdel Wahed who will show you how they have adapted a craft inherited from their ancestors and use it to produce contemporary pieces of art.

Hany Abdel Kader is an Egyptian tentmaker who captured the political events of the Arab Spring using a craft he has inherited from his uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather before him. His work is today in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum and in the Oriental Museum in Durham.

Mohamed Abdel Wahed is both a banker and a craftsman who adapts traditional designs and modernises them to suit international market trends. He takes his inspiration from the designs of ancient and medieval Egypt but reinterprets them to produce a modern aesthetic.  The craft has been passed down through four generations of his family.

This webinar is moderated by Seif El Rashidi, co-author (with Sam Bowker) of The Tentmakers of Cairo: Egypt’s Medieval and Modern Applique Craft. (American University in Cairo Press, 2018).

It was first organised by The Barakat Trust as part of London Craft Week 2020. The Barakat Trust was founded as a UK charity in 1987 and operates for educational and heritage purposes focusing on the heritage of the Islamic world.

If you are interested in the work of the tentmakers and would like to commission/acquire examples of their work, please see their facebook page.