When you enter Brent Civic Centre from its new main entrance on Olympic Way (next to Sainsbury's) you are hit by a riot of colour. This is the quilt exhibition that is the result of a lottery funded heritage project by the Brazilian Community and Cultural Support Centre in London.
They explain:
The Weaving our History in a quilt project offered cultural heritage education through a native art form that involved 56 children and young people and 15 parents of Brazilian descent living in London in a creative collaboration that will develop a History Quilt in the tradition of "Embroiderers". The final quilt was exhibited days at places of cultural importance for the Brazilian community residing in London
Over 20 sessions, specialized educators taught the history and weaving techniques to mothers and children in regular meetings at the Clube dos Brasileirinhos. They learned the history and heritage of embroidery and the tradition of “Embroiderers” from a place called: “Vale do Jequitinhonha”, which is located in "Minas Gerais" in the Southeast region of Brazil. The families created an embroidery exhibition, the Colcha da História, which summarized the history of Brazilian embroidery in a work of art.
In the process, the children learned the basics of weaving, embroidery, finishing and the "painting" designs made by the weavers. During the workshops, the instructors trained the participants in weaving techniques and in the culture of the weavers of Vale do Jequitinhonha. This is a way of weaving and a culture that is established from the confluence of three different peoples: the Portuguese, the Africans and the indigenous people. The sessions were led by Liliane Benevenuto Lemos, artisan and researcher in textile art, education and Brazilian culture. From learning the art of weaving, participants also learned about the history of weavers, meanings of traditional designs, quilombola way of life, work songs, verses, cirandas, weaving gestures and rhythms that are part of the local culture in Brazil .
During this immersive learning experience, participants created the quilt artwork that was structured in a three-part timeline that references significant periods in Brazil's recent history; indigenous, Portuguese and African legacy and European immigration. They collected information and designs that were manually incorporated as visual embroidered motifs and symbols from each period. The main message we want children and young people to take home is the unity achieved through diversity, which is a unique and significant gift that Brazil offers the world. The educational narrative will make reference to different ethnicities, food, music, customs, spirituality and dance. At the same time, it will deepen the tradition of “embroiderers” and equip participants with practical skills that keep this cultural heritage alive in the Brazilian diaspora. This Project sewed the History of Brazil and the tradition of embroidery into a quilt.
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