Kheyameya Textile Project Celebrates The Ancient Art Of Egyptian Appliqué

The ancient art of Egyptian appliqué has inspired a textile project called Kheyameya. Kheyameya refers to the intricately stitched textiles made by the legendary Tentmakers of Cairo, highly skilled artists who for centuries have created appliqué textiles that were traditionally used to line the interior of tents. As time has passed the number of artists has dwindled and the Khayameya produced today are mainly for home furnishings or wall hangings for the tourist market.

Produced by Rotate-Editions The Egyptian Khayemaya Project brought together two Khayemaya artists, Ashram Hashem and Hassan Omar (Yahia); alongside three graphic artists, Rhonda Drakeford of Darkroom, Anthony Burrill of A Practice For Everyday Life; and Damien Poulain. Together the group created a series of panels the designs of each marrying the old with the new in the form of techniques, aesthetics, and colour. The ones shown in this feature are by Rhonda Drakeford and form a triptych, and each panel is available as a limited edition of ten and can be bought individually or as a set.

The Khayemaya Egyptian Textile Project was shown at the Bert & May Warehouse as part of the London Design Festival 2016.

– Tapiwa Matsinde

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For further information about the Khayemaya Egyptian Textile Project collections visit: https://darkroomlondon.com

[Image credits: The images shown belong to Darkroom London. If downloaded and used elsewhere please credit accordingly.]