The Palestinian Museum has announced that it is extending its exhibition, Labour of Love: New approaches to Palestinian Embroidery to 31 January 2019. The decision was made following a notable increase in the number of visitors and participants in auxiliary programs and activities. Inaugurated in mid-March 2018, the Exhibition has already received over 12,000 visitors.
Labour of Love explores Palestinian embroidery through the lenses of gender, labour, capital and class, tracing its shift from a personal practice to a symbol of national heritage, while also examining the wider implications of commodification. The exhibition seeks to build a complex picture of Palestinian material history through the display of historic Palestinian dresses and accessories, posters, paintings, archival photographs, and newly commissioned videos.
Chair of the Board of the Palestinian Museum, Zina Jardaneh, stated that ‘this exhibition, crowning years of research and effort, has been curated in accordance with the highest professional standards. It examines embroidery from a distinctly new perspective and displays a unique collection of 300 pieces, including dresses, paintings, posters, videos, archive pictures and other items. At the heart of the exhibition is a collection of 80 dresses spanning all areas of historic Palestine and dating back many years. This unprecedented display has drawn considerable public interest, on account of which we have decided to extend the exhibition to enable more visitors to enjoy its attractions.”
The Museum is also compiling an exhibition catalogue, prepared by the Exhibition’s curator, Rachel Dedman, and edited by Shuruq Harb. It will synthesize the curator’s research on Palestinian embroidery presented in the exhibition, and will include a photo-essay and foreword by the Chair of the Board, Zina Jardanah. Other contributors include Kristine Khouri, Tina Sherwell, Kirsten Schied, Tania Tamari Nasir, and Chiara de Cesari. In due course, the Museum will announce the catalogue launch date together with a number of related events, lectures, talks and other educational activities as part of the Exhibition’s general programme.
The Museum is currently planning to extend its reach to a larger public in Jordan and other areas. To this end, it is in the process of producing a virtual tour using 3D display techniques to access a larger public, including Palestinian and other nationals who are unable to visit the exhibition. This will enable them to experience an innovative, descriptive, and narrative tour of the exhibition. The Museum is also preparing simultaneous exhibition-related events in Amman.
The Palestinian Museum is an independent institution dedicated to supporting an open and dynamic Palestinian culture both nationally and internationally. The Museum presents and engages with new perspectives on Palestinian history, society and culture, and is a flagship project of the Welfare Association (Taawon). Taawon is an independent non-profit organisation committed to providing development and humanitarian assistance in Palestine and the Palestinian communities in Lebanon.