Today I finally made it to the "Thread Memory, Embroidery from Palestine" display at the V & A Dundee.
These are a few of the garments on display. It was rather emotional walking around the exhibition, reading the stories, seeing an outfit that had been on display in a Palestinian museum until Israel decided to bomb it and destroy most of the things displayed there (I did not take a photo of that item, it felt wrong to do so, but perhaps I should return and take a photo of it).
I love the idea of stitching an intentional imperfection into the design to ward off the evil eye, I have seen other cultures mention similar within their stitching.
The following text is taken from the V & A website about the exhibition.
"Explore the history of Palestinian dress and the ancient practice of elaborate hand-embroidery.
Tatreez is an ancient practice of elaborate hand-embroidery, and each region of Palestine has its own distinct and identifiable style making embroidery a language as much as a craft. For centuries, a Palestinian woman’s dress – its cut, colour, textiles, stitches and motifs – reflected her life story. Written into garments are the signs of youth or grief, the marks of motherhood and rural life, as well as the traces of social, political and economic change in Palestine, from the late nineteenth century to the present.
2025 marks 45 years of Dundee’s twin city relationship with Nablus, Palestine and this exhibition takes the opportunity to spotlight Nabulsi dress and tell the story of the historic connection between Scotland and Palestine, through material from Dundee collections and Palestinian archives.
Thread Memory also features contemporary embroidered dress, including newly commissioned looks from Palestinian fashion designers building upon inherited cultural traditions. Work by contemporary artists engaging with tatreez will sit next to the traditional dress on display, alongside interviews with Palestinian embroiderers.
Thread Memory: Embroidery from Palestine is made in partnership with Art Jameel, the Palestinian Museum, V&A South Kensington and V&A Dundee. It is based on an exhibition of the same title that was exhibited at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from January to April 2025."
The display is on at V & A Dundee until Spring 2026, it is free to visit and is well worth it. The Scottish Design gallery is worth a wander round. I didn't go to the paid exhibition because it doesn't hugely interest me.
(Heather Street Food truck is just next door and does amazing doughnuts, also worth visiting."
