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Abstract
The tentmakers of Cairo have a history of resiliently adapting their craft to the demands of the world around them. For generations, operating from small workshops in the heart of the historic city of Cairo, they have responded to local and international demand, as well as speculatively developing new products based on their own vision and understanding of their market. Today, these craftsmen, working in the decorative technique of needle-turned cotton-on-canvas appliqué known as khayamiya (from the Arabic for “tent”) and utilizing social media and the Internet, have developed new understandings of their craft heritage through engagement with global craft networks and international forums. The tentmakers’ craft practice is linked to changing uses and production of khayamiya, the vulnerability of Egyptian tourism, and local perceptions regarding the value of khayamiya as a craft. Despite fears relating to the sustainability of the craft, the future of the tentmakers gives cause for optimism.
New international markets - namely western craft exhibitions specialized either in quilts and textiles - are changing khayamiya design. They bring a new appreciation of the craft for audiences with little previous exposure to Egyptian craft and heritage, supporting the competitive drive for higher-quality objects. Use of online spaces - Facebook, Etsy, and Instagram - challenge some of the foundations of the craft, such as who becomes a tentmaker, how their businesses operate, attitudes to the ownership of designs, and the introduction of new visual elements and business collaborations. This paper will review these forward-looking implications for Egyptian khayamiya, noting how the dynamics of the street and the screen are shaping global engagement with this contemporary craft. The research relies on conversations with the tentmakers and online research carried out by the authors in 2019.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 These Facebook groups are accessible via: “The Tentmakers of Chareh El-Khiamiah,” https://www.facebook.com/thetentmakersofcairo/ (accessed February 7, 2020) and “Tentmakers of Cairo,” https://www.facebook.com/officialtentmakersofcairo/ (accessed February 7, 2020). The following for the Facebook groups is high, exceeding the number of followers for the Ramses Wissa Wassef Arts Centre (around 2,500), the home of another specialized textile tradition, and the successful heritage-inspired al-Qahira craft and design gallery (around 4,500). Yes it is significantly less than the top-end Cairo craft store called Markaz Egypt (who sell cushions made by the tentmakers), which has around 41,000 followers.
2 Google Map, “How to Find the Tentmakers,” https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1JNiIsKKcyfK9JR0tzsgHy7fnwxc&hl = en&gl = au&ie = UTF8&oe = UTF8&msa=0&ll=30.04495748005581%2C31.25762199999997&z=17 (accessed February 7, 2020).
3 Etsy, “TentmakersOfCairo,” https://www.etsy.com/shop/TentmakersOfCairo (accessed February 7, 2020).
4 Behance website for Nourhan Abdel Baki, https://www.behance.net/Nourhan-Abdel-Baki (accessed February 7, 2020).
5 Emanuela D’Amico, “Interview with Ahmed Kamal Swedan,” Artmorbida, https://www.artemorbida.com/intervista-con-ahmed-kamal-swedan/?lang=en (accessed February 7, 2020).
6 For more information refer to Ann Sophie Lehmann, “Showing Making: On Visual Documentation and Creative Practice,” The Journal of Modern Craft 5, no. 1 (March 2012).
7 Sam Bowker, “The Symmetry of Khayamiya and Quilting: International relations of the Egyptian tentmakers,” Craft + Design Enquiry 6 (2014): 29–60.
8 Nicolette Pickard, “Tentmakers of Cairo to be revealed in Berry,” South Coast Register (January 21, 2019). https://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/5852248/tentmakers-of-cairo-to-be-revealed-in-berry/ (accessed February 7, 2020).
9 This was an event organised in May 2019 in which Seif El Rashidi spoke about khayamiya to a group of young Egyptians (both children and adults) enrolled on a craft and design development course for residents of historic Cairo. The event was public and was followed by a lively discussion between the speaker, the students of the craft school and other audience members.
10 “QuiltNSW Sydney Quilt Show 2019 Prize Winners” Quilters’ Guild of NSW Inc website, https://quiltnsw.com/quiltshow/open.html (accessed February 7, 2020).
11 B/R Football, “Mo Salah Exclusive Interview in New York 2019: Taylor Rooks Meets the Egyptian King,” Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=146&v = k6T8fbqRGxg (accessed February 7, 2020).
12 For more information, refer to Sam Bowker, “Another Egyptian Revolution: Khayamiya as War Art” in Constructing the Memory of War in Visual Culture Since 1914, ed. Ann Murray (London: Routledge, 2018) and Seif el Rashidi and Sam Bowker, The Tentmakers of Cairo: Egypt’s Medieval and Modern Appliqué Craft (Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2018).
13 Tim Bonyhady and Nigel Lendon, Woven Witness: Afghan War Rugs. (San Jose: San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, 2007) and Enrico Maselloni, War Rugs: The Nightmare of Modernism trans. by Rosa Maria Falvo (Milan: Skira, 2009).
14 Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, “The Politics of Egyptian Fine Art: Giving Voice to the People” The Century Foundation (May 16, 2017), https://tcf.org/content/report/politics-egyptian-fine-art/ (accessed February 7, 2020).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Sam Bowker
Sam Bowker is Senior Lecturer in Art History and Visual Culture for Charles Sturt University. He is a co-author of The Tentmakers of Cairo: Egypt’s Medieval and Modern Appliqué Craft (2018), published by the American University in Cairo Press.
Seif El Rashidi
Seif El Rashidi is an architectural historian and the Director of the Barakat Trust. He is a co-author of The Tentmakers of Cairo: Egypt’s Medieval and Modern Appliqué Craft (2018), published by the American University in Cairo Press.