Here There and Everywhere

KUWAIT: The Palestinian Culture Center will hold the first of its two annual exhibitions for 2009 at Bayt Lothan. The show includes a large collection of textileـbased traditional handmade crossـstitch, as well as pottery from Hebron, books about Palestine in English and Arabic, posters, slide shows, Palestinian food and family oriented activities.

The Palestinian Culture Center is a nonـprofit organization that was established in Jordan in 1993. It aims to preserve the rich heritage and culture of Palestine and help support women and their families in the Palestinian refugee camps become economically independent.

This year was an active year for the Center due to the affects of the global financial crisis placing a further strain on the poor, as well as the violent and aggressive Israeli military onslaught on Gaza. As a result, the Center worked hard to increase the salaries of the 500 or so women who do the embroidery work, as well as pay for their transportation from the camps, and motivate them by granting bonuses for quality work.
Exhibition Highlights

* Traditional crossـstitch embroidery of dresses, linens, shawls, cushions, table runners, cards, coasters, belts, purses, bookmarks and more
* Handmade ceramics from Hebron
* Books, posters, cards, key chains, kafiyas and DVDs
* Paintings from Palestinian artists from Jerusalem and other occupied areas
* Multimedia slideshows on Palestine
* Food sale of traditional Palestinian food such as thyme and sumaq, and on Thursday only baked goods and other traditional plates

Palestinian embroidery using needles and silk thread is a manifestation of the Palestinian identity as it has evolved over the ages. An age old art, all Palestinian ladies, young and old, would spend hours embroidering their trousseau, dresses, shawls and cushions. Using geometrical shapes at first, and then evolving to depict images from nature surrounding them, the dresses are famous for their flowery designs and bold natural colors of indigo and red. Symbols of the ubiquitous cypress trees surrounding the orange groves, roses, jasmine and the famous olive tree are typical motifs in these dresses.

The exhibition is being held at Bayt Lothan in Salmiya, which is next to Marina Mall and facing the Arabian Gulf Road.