Textiles Abroad: South Africa

Hamburg (a name chosen by its original German settlers in the 1850s) is a small village on the southern coast of Africa, lying between East London and Port Alfred, and situated where the Keiskamma River flows into the Indian Ocean 20 kilometres up a mud road. The Keiskamma Trust is a community venture established there in 2000, by then very impoverished. It has two key programmes. The first is an initiative to encourage local women to learn embroidery and related clothworking skills. They have now become a powerful band of more than 100 artists who generate an income from their output, jointly designing and creating a range of work from their relatively routine production of craft items – ranging from cushion covers and toy animals to award winning artworks of monumental scale. Several of these works have been exhibited internationally, and a number are in important collections. Among them is the ‘Keiskamma Tapestry’ (‘tapestry’ is used in this context to denote a sizeable work – this one is approximately 120 metres and made of wool, embroidered onto hessian). It pays significant regard to the form and substance of the Bayeux Tapestry, offering an historical narrative relating to the Eastern Cape, but in this case over a much longer period than the few years surrounding the Battle of Hastings. The ‘tapestry’ was purchased by Standard Bank and is now on permanent display in the parliament building in Cape Town.

Detail from the 'Keiskamma Tapestry'.

© The Keiskamma Trust.

Michael was inspired by the Keiskamma Tapestry and decided the Trust was an appropriate recipient of the Discretionary Grant each Master may propose during his or her year of service. He visited Hamburg in November 2017 to see the art project at first hand. One group was working on a piece commissioned from Australia, and Michael was fascinated by the design process – in this case involving an overall ‘cartoon’ on paper, the embroidery of individual figures and other iconography that were then sewn onto the backing material, with further stitching by way of background. He also witnessed a demonstration of felt making. During his visit, Michael was also introduced to the Trust’s second main arm, its Music Academy, which instructs young members of the community in classical musical education. He attended an interesting concert at a local secondary school, featuring students performing on everything from violins to saxophones, flutes to pianos, and even an African drum. The Trust recently showcased its art and music programmes in London. This past December, students from the Music Academy (aged 14 to 22) performed in Manchester, Birmingham, and Oxford before visiting London for a special celebration at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP ). Before the concert, the RCP unveiled a tapestry commissioned from the Trust to commemorate the College’s 500th anniversary. Michael was delighted to be at the event, and particularly touched to be able to meet Wonke Mapuma (18), who holds the special honour of being the Trust’s first student to have passed the Grade 8 exam on the clarinet. The tapestry is now on display in one of the RCP ’s public spaces.

Keiskamma Art Project.