This online  conversation explores the over one thousand-year-old tradition of textile appliqué work (khayamiyya) in Egypt, which continues to thrive in the ‘Street of the Tentmakers’ in the heart of historic Cairo’s bustling center. Seif El Rashidi, co-author of the publication, The Tentmakers of Cairo: Egypt’s Medieval and Modern Applique Craft (2018), and an expert in cultural heritage preservation, shares the stories of contemporary craftspeople who have found ingenious ways to maintain this time-honored art form in an age of machine-made mass production. Seif will share video footage of master-stitchers at work and discuss how the aesthetic of the craft has been adapted to cater to international audiences and adopted by contemporary designers.

The research for this project was supported by The Barakat Trust.