letter to the editor

Editor Dominion Post

Thank you Ray Mahabir for bring Wellington the Mulana Project

(25 Jan) I attended a workshop by Ray Mahabir with 6 other Wellington-based artists at the Wellington Arts Centre. TV3 News gave a glimpse of the workshop and the exhibition of beautiful tapestries showing the art of the traditional embroidery that Ray Mahabir is reviving through the Mulana Project.

In the workshop we learned about the women who do embroidery in West India and their art form that has been passed down through generations. Sadly their technique is being lost due to tourist demand for cheap, quick work. This project is drawing attention to the beauty and quality of the art. We saw how young people living in London have responded to the project through words and imagery. We engaged in a group discussion of identity and develop our own designs that will be embroidered by the same women in India making a beautiful large tapestry that will be brought back to New Zealand in a year. This hands-on workshop opens up possibilities of dialogues, discovery, and cross-cultural exchange. Material travelling distances and passing through hands can bring awareness of people in the world, our wonderful similarities and differences, and most of all, our connections on this global tapestry.

I’d like to say thanks to Ray Mahabir for bring us the workshop and to The Wellington Arts Centre for actively creating and hosting opportunities for engagement and discovery.

Melissa Wyman
Wellington artist