Kangas are a form of textile associated with Swahili-speaking cultures of East Africa. Their design is said to have been inspired by cotton handkerchiefs brought to the region by Portuguese traders. Local women stitched together two rows of three handkerchiefs … Continued
Often regarded as “Nigeria’s first modern fashion designer” (Denzer, 2010a, p.332) Folashade (“Shade”) Thomas-Fahm created innovative garments which combined traditional Nigerian textiles and styles with a western silhouette. Her designs appealed to urban elites throughout southern Nigeria as well as … Continued
Helen Mears, Keeper of World Art, reflects on the legacies of a colonial collection of photographs: its importance as a record of ethnic histories and use value to Myanmar’s minority communities today. She also discusses recent museum initiatives to record the … Continued
With the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, through its Collecting Cultures scheme, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery has acquired a set of garments created by Clive Rundle, one of South Africa’s most important designers. The garments, part of a … Continued
The World Art collection at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery includes a small group of textiles made by women living in refugee camps near the Thailand/Myanmar border, in the Mae Hong Son area. Most of these women identified with the … Continued
Helen Mears, Royal Pavilion & Museums’ Keeper of World Art, reports from a recent trip to Malaysia undertaken as part of her doctoral research at the University of Brighton into the use of heritage amongst overseas Kachin communities. Brighton Museum … Continued
This long-sleeved shirt formerly belonged to Charles Makhuya. In the 1970s Charles was a guerrilla / freedom fighter with the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU). Charles had been a ZAPU … Continued
It’s been an incredibly busy few months for those of us working on the Fashion Cities Africa exhibition project and our Heritage Lottery Fund Collecting Cultures project. Through meetings with our consultants – including Helen Jennings and Hannah Pool – we’ve … Continued
Today marks the third anniversary of the breakdown of a 17-year ceasefire agreement between the Kachin Independence Army and Burmese government which has had tragic consequences for the Kachin community. The Kachin are an ethnic minority group based in northern … Continued
Saturday 22 March 2014, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Public talk 2-3.30pm, Book launch from 4pm, Free, All welcome Learn more about these woven miniatures of Buddhist art with collector Ralph Isaacs. Followed by the launch of Ralph’s new book, Sazigyo—Woven … Continued
Work undertaken by Brighton Museum & Art Gallery with members of the Kachin community, an ethnic minority group based in North East Burma, is under threat as a 17-year ceasefire between the Burmese government and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) descends … Continued
I’m part of the team working on the redevelopment of the World Art gallery at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery. This gallery displays some stunning objects from Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Pacific, but visitors – especially young people … Continued
Members of the Positive Hair Day project team visited Brighton Museum & Art Gallery last week. They were interested in objects from the World Art collection that relate to issues around Black hair and styling. They’re creating an exhibition of hair-related … Continued
I am one of a team working on the development of a new World Stories gallery at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, to open June 2012. One of the stories featuring in the new gallery is about a festival celebrated … Continued
On Saturday 27 November 2010 I was thrilled to participate at the 2105th Shan New Year celebrations at University College London. Organised by the Shan Cultural Association in the UK (SCA-UK), the event attracted some 250 people, most of whom … Continued
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