This project critically engages with textiles as a medium and the power it has within politics.

The piece takes the form of a tapestry/quilt using textiles taken from various Kurdish provinces. The diversity of Kurdish textiles is huge because of how fragmented Kurdish society is due to lack of statehood, hence why the overlapping of textiles juxtaposes each other, as they each carry a completely different design and feel.

Textiles are rich in ancestral memories and have also become forms of cultural expression and solidarity, where people have worn during protests as an act of defiance against repression.

The final piece can be seen as a tapestry of ‘woven memories’, using textiles, printed matter but also the thread used to tell a story. The narrative is represented metaphorically, manipulating the mediums used, instead of using words or photography.

This piece communicates information without being illiterate, which is a reflection on the poor coverage in media outlets and how many Kurdish people’s struggles are met with silence, hence the title of the piece ‘speaking in code, the silent message’. The tapestry is displayed on the floor, as if it were a mat, a place of gathering and remembering.