As a part of my residency at The Hive (JQ) in December 2021 I created a series of workshops drawing inspiration from the Panjabi folk craft of Phulkari*

Young people from The Hive's Seven Up group were invited to create their own textile pieces influenced by the natural and industrial shapes around them, with materials provided for them to explore. Typically, this would be an embroidery workshop but I adapted the idea to meet the access needs of the young people involved as they had cognitive and physical disabilities.

I’m currently developing ways of making embroidery accessible to those with complex needs for future workshops.

*Phulkari (which means ‘floral work’) is a traditional Panjabi folk embroidery technique, which was historically used to make decorative shawls (dupattas). This type of embroidery was traditionally a communal act, where women would clean their courtyards and invite friends and family to ceremonially begin the process of embroidering a Phulkari.