Rethinking Embroidery: Stitch, Wellbeing and Community
Wednesday (UK)
Online via Zoom
Please read the 'Important Booking Information' below before booking this Talk.
Description
Rethinking Embroidery: Stitch, Wellbeing and Community
What can embroidery offer beyond the creation of a beautiful object? How can stitch help us express difficult experiences, connect with others and build a sense of belonging?
In this talk, embroidery artist Elnaz Yazdani explores the evolving role of embroidery as both a contemporary art form and a tool for community connection and wellbeing. Drawing on her experimental textile practice and community-based projects, Elnaz will share how traditional stitching techniques can be reimagined to bring people together, open conversations and create opportunities for shared expression.
Through projects including Connecting Through Threads and The Belle Isle Tapestry, the talk will explore how collaborative embroidery can celebrate individual stories, strengthen connections to place and create a collective sense of identity. Elnaz will also introduce projects engaging with experiences of mental health and wellbeing, including Between Stitch & Silence, which explores fertility journeys, and The Grief Garden, which brings together botanical printing, embroidery, memory and bereavement.
These projects offer different perspectives on the ways creative practice can provide space for reflection, expression and connection. From stitching together community histories to exploring experiences that can be difficult to articulate in words, they demonstrate how embroidery can become a shared language through which people feel heard, valued and connected.
Alongside these stories, Elnaz will share insights into her own experimental approach to embroidery, exploring the influence of natural materials, gardening and unconventional surfaces on her work. Drawing on her MA by Research, Rethinking Embroidery: Connecting, Embellishing and Transforming Communities Through Embroidery, she will consider how stitch can transform not only materials, but also the ways we engage with one another.
Through images, project stories and reflections on practice, this talk invites audiences to look beyond the finished textile and consider the possibilities of embroidery as a means of creativity, care and community building.
Important Booking Information
Please note that this event is a LIVE online talk via Zoom at the given date and time and will last between approximately 60-90 minutes including questions and answers.
Requirements
You will need access to a suitable computer, tablet or smartphone device. We recommend that you download and install the Zoom app on your device in advance of the Talk.
You will receive your personalised Zoom invite no later than 24 hours before the event (3 hours if booked on the day). Your Zoom invite is unique to you and should not be shared, otherwise you may be unable to view the Talk.
Attendees Outside the UK
This Talk will run from 7pm to approximately 8:30pm (19:00 to 20:30 hours) UK local time. If you are outside of the UK please check your local time, particularly if your location changes to/from Daylight Savings Time on a different schedule to the UK during March/April. To check and convert times please visit TimeAndDate.com.
