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What do traditional Indian textiles and Winterbourne have in common? The answer: quite a lot!
Last year, we were visited by members of a Sikh temple in Walsall. Some of the women were particularly excited by the textiles and wallpapers at Winterbourne, because the botanical imagery reminded them of traditional Indian design. Since William Morris was indeed heavily influenced by Indian textiles and Indian block printing techniques, the link is a very strong one.
The visit was arranged by a member of our Advocacy Group – our supportive group of horticultural and curatorial professionals, donors and backers – who attends the temple. This year, plans were hatched to bring members of the Sikh community back to Winterbourne for a practical workshop, where they could create some embroidery and share items which they themselves had made in the past. Colleagues in the International Centre for Heritage identified some funding, and in May ten participants spent a day here, taking inspiration from the garden and working with an art practitioner.
Several participants brought superb examples of their own work. For some of them, it was several decades since they had made embroidery, and they enjoyed reviving old skills. For others, it was the first time they had attempted it. There were plenty of ideas available in the garden, which was looking stunning in the bright sunshine. The group was also offered the opportunity to trace designs from vintage embroidery transfers in Winterbourne’s collection.
The resulting work was varied, colourful and inventive, and there was plenty of enthusiasm for more workshops. Winterbourne will be exploring funding opportunities to develop a community engagement project next year.
The outputs from the workshop are now on display in the Herbarium room on the first floor until the end of July.
