Cairo tentmakers in PE
AVISIT by the world-famous Tentmakers of Cairo is one of the highlights of the Siyadala – We Create National Quilt Festival to be held in Port Elizabeth next month.
Hosted by the Dias Quilters Guild, the festival is at Collegiate Girls’ High School from July 3 to 8 and will be attended by local, national and international quilters, including the Tentmakers of Cairo, the Keiskamma Project and 67 Blankets.
“The festival is always a feast of colour, texture and creative activity and the exhibition of quilts opens up a world of new views, taking the viewer from the traditional quilt form to the level of art,” one of the organisers, Brenda Dickeos said.
The Tentmakers work in the Street of the Tentmakers in Cairo, Egypt, practising an age-old tradition of appliqué, passed down from generation to generation.
Ekramy Hanafy and Hany Mahmoud, who will be representing the group at the festival, are considered masters of needle-turn appliqué, which they will teach at festival workshops.
“They have proven to be in great demand at many major quilt festivals in the world, so to have them come to Port Elizabeth is very exciting,” Dickeos said
A selection of work by various tentmakers will also be on display in a satellite exhibition at the festival.
The five-day festival will host quilting workshops by experienced accredited quilt teachers, lectures, vendors and a juried and judged exhibition of quilts.
Jenny Bowker, who has been working with the Tentmakers since 2005, will hold a lecture titled The Tentmakers of old Cairo on Wednesday, July 5 at 12.30pm. She will talk about the complex society of the street, its occupants, how they make their work and the threat to their art form.
The festival will be open from 9am to 6pm daily and 9am to 3pm on the last day.
Dickeos said the festival would be fascinating for experienced quilters as well as novices, and “for those who want to try their hand at quilting, there are vendors with fabrics and advice on where to begin”.
The conference registration fee is R150 and individual workshops may be booked thereafter at Computicket.
Day visitors (not attending workshops) are also welcome, with an entrance fee of R50 for adults, R20 for pupils and free for children under 12.
Visit the Siyadala Facebook page or the festival website www.festival.quiltsouthafrica.co.za