TELLI IS A TEXTILE THAT HAS NOT ONLY LIVED THROUGH DIFFERENT ERAS BUT HOLDS DIFFERENT CULTURES THAT EGYPT HAS CARRIED THROUGHOUT DECADES. THIS IS A TEXTILE WHERE COTTON AND LINEN WERE MERGED TO MAKE A MESH THAT WAS EMBROIDERED WITH SMALL KARAT GOLD OR SILVER AND DATES BACK TO ANCIENT EGYPT. ONLY A GROUP OF LADIES IN THE SOUTH OF EGYPT ARE ACQUAINTED WITH THIS TECHNIQUE TODAY AS IT ONCE WAS A DYING ART THAT HAS BEEN RECENTLY REVIVED. THE FABRICS ARE ALL THREADED BY HAND AND ONE BY ONE, EACH METAL STITCH IS CUT THE NEXT ONE BEGINS. THIS ISN’T ONLY A DYING ART BUT A REFLECTION OF EGYPTIAN TRADITIONAL AND CULTURAL SOCIAL NORMS MIDST AND ISLAMIC CONNOTED SOCIETY BY PROVIDING THESE WOMEN JOBS WE ARE SUPPORTING WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.
TRADITIONALLY NOT SEEN AS AN EGYPTIAN ART, BUT IN FACT, THERE IS A WHOLE STREET IN CAIRO THAT IS FULL OF BAMBOO STORES.
BASKET WEAVING USING BAMBOO IS THE PROCESS OF WEAVING OR SEWING BAMBOO INTO TWO OR THREE-DIMENSIONAL ARTEFACTS SUCH AS MATS, CONTAINERS OR CHAIRS. THE CRAFTED AND SKILLED WORKERS HAVE NOT BEEN PRODUCING NEW PIECES LATELY. ITS NOT SELLING OUT, WHY WOULD WE MAKE MORE, WHY WOULD BE EMPLOY MORE PEOPLE” THE STORE REPRESENTATIVES CLAIM. INTEGRATING SUCH ART WITHIN FASHION MAY PROVIDE A TWIST, AND A SENSE OF EXCITEMENT TO THE SKILLED CRAFTSMEN AS THEY ARE DOING SOMETHING NEW, AND CREATIVE. OUT OF ALL THE ARTISANS ANNE MARIE K HAS WORKED WITH; THESE WORK THE MOST EAGER TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND CREATIVE AND DEVELOP SOMETHING AROUND THE HUMAN BODY WITH CURVES AND SHAPES.
AN EGYPTIAN - RED CRESCENT PROJECT THAT AIMS AT EMPOWERING THE UNDERPRIVILEGED FAMILIES OF THE NAHDA COMMUNITY TO EARN THEIR OWN INCOME THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF PATCHWORK HANDICRAFT BASED ON THE KHAYAMIA DESIGNS. THE RED CRESCENT PROVIDES THE NAHDA FAMILIES WITH RAW MATERIALS, TRAINING ON KHAYAMIA QUILTING AND DESIGNS. THE FAMILIES ARE PAID UPFRONT BY PIECE WHILE THE RED CRESCENT MARKETS THE PRODUCTS TO RECOVER THE COSTS. THE PRODUCTS KHAYAMIA EMBROIDERY ON BEDSPREADS, QUILTS, TOWEL, TABLE CLOTHS, MANY MORE. EGYPTIAN RED CRESCENT- NAHDA ENDEAVORS TO DEVELOP THIS COMMUNITY AND ENCOURAGES THE FAMILIES TO RELY ON THEIR OWN CAPABILITIES INSTEAD OF SEEKING AID. THE PROGRAM ASPIRES TO STRENGTHEN CAPACITIES OF THE WOMEN OF NAHDA CITY, IMPROVE THEIR CULTURAL AWARENESS, PROVIDE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. ANNE MARIE K CHALLENGES THE WOMEN IN NAHDA TO MAKE INTERESTING APPLIQUES USING THE TRADITIONAL KHAYAMIA TECHNIQUE IN A NEW AND MODERN APPROACH USING UNIQUE DESIGNS AND MATERIALS.
SADAF HANDCRAFTED MOTHER OF PEARL INLAID IN WOOD:
THIS IS AN INTRICATE INLAY HAS BEEN PRACTICED IN EGYPT FOR MORE THE 4,500 YEARS. IT IS ARTISANAL CRAFT THAT EGYPT IS KNOWN FOR. EACH PIECE IS INLAID WITH HUNDREDS OF HAND-CUT PIECES OF MOTHER OF PEARL TO RECREATE ARABESQUE DESIGNS FROM THE SEVENTH CENTURY. EGYPTIAN CRAFTSMEN PASS DOWN THEIR SKILL FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. EACH DESIGN IS UNIQUE IN CHARACTER AND CHARM. RECENTLY, MOST COTTAGES THAT MAKE SADAF HAVE BEEN CLOSING DOWN DUE TO THE LACK OF DEMAND AND TOURISM AND FACTORIES HAVE LEARNED REPLICATE HANDCRAFTED SADAF. AS SAID BY HAMDY, THE TALENTED ARTESIAN THAT IS MADE THE SADAF INLAID BEADS FOR ME, “I WILL NOT TEACH MY CHILDREN THE ART OF SADAF BECAUSE IT PROVIDES NO INCOME. I WOULD RATHER HAVE MY SON STUDY IN A UNIVERSITY AND TRY FIND A JOB THAT WILL ACTUALLY PROVIDE INCOME LIKE TAXI DRIVER OR SOMETHING.” BY CREATING THE DEMAND, WE ARE TRYING TO KEEP THESE ARTISANS IN BUSINESS AND KEEP THE ART ALIVE.
MOST GLASS BLOWERS HAVE TAKEN UP THE CRAFT EVER SINCE THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE; THIS IS WHEN THEIR FATHERS AND GRANDFATHERS FIRST INHERITED IT. THE ART OF DEVELOPING NEW TECHNIQUES, INTRODUCING DIFFERENT COMPOUNDS, AND BRINGING ENHANCED FINAL PRODUCTS IN NEW DAZZLING COLORS AND TEXTURES. MAJOR PRODUCTS INCLUDE DRINKING GLASSES, TABLEWARE, CANDLESTICKS, WINDOW PANES, PERFUME BOTTLES AND MUCH MORE. THE ART IS STILL ALIVE IN “THE CITY OF DEAD” WHERE MEN SIT IN EXTREMELY HOT TEMPERATURES AND USE THEIR MOUTHS TO BLOW INTO GLASS AND CREATE PHENOMENAL SHAPES. ANNE MARIE K’S FIRST PROJECT WITH GLASS BLOWERS WAS FOR THE MAKING OF A BELT BUT IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON FURTHER DEVELOPMENT WITHIN CLOTHING, BEADS AND ACCESSORIES.
AN EGYPTIAN - RED CRESCENT PROJECT THAT AIMS AT EMPOWERING THE UNDERPRIVILEGED FAMILIES OF THE NAHDA COMMUNITY TO EARN THEIR OWN INCOME THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF PATCHWORK HANDICRAFT BASED ON THE KHAYAMIA DESIGNS. THE RED CRESCENT PROVIDES THE NAHDA FAMILIES WITH RAW MATERIALS, TRAINING ON KHAYAMIA QUILTING AND DESIGNS. THE FAMILIES ARE PAID UPFRONT BY PIECE WHILE THE RED CRESCENT MARKETS THE PRODUCTS TO RECOVER THE COSTS. THE PRODUCTS KHAYAMIA EMBROIDERY ON BEDSPREADS, QUILTS, TOWEL, TABLE CLOTHS, MANY MORE. EGYPTIAN RED CRESCENT- NAHDA ENDEAVORS TO DEVELOP THIS COMMUNITY AND ENCOURAGES THE FAMILIES TO RELY ON THEIR OWN CAPABILITIES INSTEAD OF SEEKING AID. THE PROGRAM ASPIRES TO STRENGTHEN CAPACITIES OF THE WOMEN OF NAHDA CITY, IMPROVE THEIR CULTURAL AWARENESS, PROVIDE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. ANNE MARIE K CHALLENGES THE WOMEN IN NAHDA TO MAKE INTERESTING APPLIQUES USING THE TRADITIONAL KHAYAMIA TECHNIQUE IN A NEW AND MODERN APPROACH USING UNIQUE DESIGNS AND MATERIALS.
