Join us at an Open Day celebrating the launch of The Legend of The Looms at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, in partnership with the Arab British Centre.
Working in film for the first time, Ali Al-Jamri’s commission titled The Legend of The Looms is an installation of poetry, film and textiles exploring shared revolutionary histories through handloom weaving. It features a filmed narrative debate poem between two ghostly handloom weavers: one from the North West, where weavers were critical in working class movements before, during and after the Peterloo Massacre of 1819; the other from Bahrain, where weaving communities played vital roles in reform movements. In this dramatised performance, the ghostly weavers spar over whose life was harder, whose struggles were fiercer, whose folk poetry better, until they find common ground and friendship.
Filmed with the weavers of Al-Jamri’s own family in Bahrain, and in Rossendale Valley, at a historic weaver’s cottage in Rawtenstall, the piece delicately dances between place, fact and folklore, creating a new myth that explores how people of the diaspora can relate to an unlikely new landscape through the interconnectivity of oppressions, craft, and mortality. The film is exhibited in installation format with the textiles featured in the film, for which Al-Jamri is working with renowned Manchester-based textile artist Ibukun Baldwin.
Commissioned by the Arab British Centre as part of As We Are, Might Have Been, and Could Be, in partnership with British Textile Biennial.
The film installation will be exhibited at Blackburn Museum, with the British Textile Biennial, from 1 February – 8 March. More information below!
The Legend of The Looms Open Day
1 February | 12-4:45pm | Family Friendly | Free
Join us at an Open Day celebrating the launch of The Legend of The Looms at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, in partnership with the Arab British Centre.
Ali Al-Jamri’s The Legends of the Looms is a short film and narrative debate poem between two ghostly handloom weavers: one from the North West, and the other from the artist’s home country of Bahrain. The ghostly weavers spar over whose life was harder, whose struggles were fiercer, whose folk poetry better, until maybe, they can find common ground to become friends.
The day will start at 12:30pm with the premiere of the film followed by a talk with the artist, where you can ask him all your burning questions about textiles, poetry and his performance. Then, attendees of all ages will have the chance to learn basic weaving skills with textile artist Ibukun Baldwin, who made some of the textiles in the film and installation. Using recycled materials, and classic weaving techniques, we will weave a new collaborative art piece together before the end of the day!
All activities are free and refreshments will be available after the premiere of the film.
The Legend of The Looms exhibition runs at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery from 1 February – 8 March 2025. It was commissioned by the Arab British Centre as part of As We Are, Might Have Been, and Could Be, is presented in partnership with British Textile Biennial, and is supported by Arts Council England and Freelands Foundation.