World embroidery day

I thought it fitting to celebrate World Embroidery day with “What’s love got to do with it (Family Business)” which forms part of my solo exhibition: Family Meeting at MContemporary gallery!

Hannalie Taute What’s love got to do with it (Family business) 84 x 119 cm Photographic print on board, thread and rubber 2021

“Textile reflects our world; embroideries can show the
expressions of our time. Embroidery and textiles can focus
on the social injustices between countries.
By the means of embroidery we can draw attention to the necessity of
engaging in the force of textile in global trade and with it in world peace.
Textiles is a power and let us use embroidery as an inspiration for people to
engage in creativity that leads to a better understanding between countries
and between people.
To embroider is a peaceful occupation. It can be traditional made from a common
remembrance, drawn designs, from a pattern, or from your own imagination. You embroider for joy, beauty, decoration and for the creation of identity.
Stitches can be decorative, beautiful, comforting, repeating, healing, telling, pleasurable, rebellious, caressing and perfect.
People embroider out of joy, as a hobby, professionally, for the bare necessities of
life and as an act of freedom. You embroider together with others or in meditative solitude.
We want to acknowledge embroidery as an act of free creativity, which can lead to
free, creative thoughts and ideas. We want to tie our embroidery threads from the privileged northern hemisphere together with stitches that are sewn by embroidering sisters
and brothers all over the world.
We want to be part of a joyfully creative peace movement.”

The quote above comes from the Manifesto by Skåne Sy-d, a local group of Broderiakademin, the Swedish
Embroiderer’s Guild.

They were also the force behind the initiative of World Embroidery day

“The first World Embroidery Day took place in Vismarlöv, 30th
July 2011. The importance of embroidery must be made known and World Embroidery
Day will spread around the world. Make 30th July a day filled with creativity for the sake
of Peace, Freedom and Equality.” quoted from the Manifesto

Happy World Embroidery day everyone! xxx

Minutes to midnight 215 x 106 cm cotton thread, doillies and rubber 2018

Minutes to Midnight is the title of the work above as well as the title for my upcoming solo exhibition at 99 Loop Gallery in Cape Town.

minutes to midnight detail

For a long time my thoughts centered around the words “Minutes to midnight” as a title for a possible solo show, and after many attempts, planning, and discussions the works of the past few years (some new, some reworked) all fit together and finally I am looking forward to present the body of work soon (October 2018).

“Minutes to Midnight” is basically a continuation of my investigation of fear, which in turn lead me to the notion of time and eventually to the meaning behind the words: “Minutes to midnight” which actually refers to the symbolic clock used by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. This symbolic clock represents the countdown to a potential global catastrophe, and refers to this catastrophe as “Midnight”. It is currently standing on 2 minutes to Midnight.

Midnight in turn also reminded me about all the fairytales in which when the clock strikes 12 the magic disappears.

Minutes to midnight detail

But before you think it is all gloom and doom in this post, I have something uplifting to share with you as well:

I found out this morning, that it is World Embroidery Day today! I saw it on a fellow embroiderer’s Instagram account*, and decided to google it to find out more.

The origins of the World Embroidery Day date back to 30 June 2011 and was an initiative of the Swedish Embroidery Guild, to celebrate embroidery (what a wonderful idea). I even found their Embroidery Manifesto which I would like to share with you:

embroidery_manifesto_-english (1)

Or you can visit this website to Download in 5 other languages:

http://www.broderiakademin.nu/worldembroideryday/