From 21 April - 31 May
Arpillera Dolls created by people from all over the world.
Arpillera Doll Exhibition
This Arpillera Doll Exhibition curated by Conflict Textiles has emerged from the Online Exhibition Embracing Human Rights: Conflict Textiles’ Journey”. It evolved from an open invitation issued from the Associated Activities for all ages section section “Make your own arpillera doll”. To augment the process, we issued the invitation to arpilleristas/makers whose pieces featured in the exhibition, to collectors who lent us pieces, to those who came to the exhibition launch on 7th March and to a wider cohort of people closely connected to Conflict Textiles.
Their response to the brief – to create an arpillera doll connected to one of the exhibition pieces – has yielded rich outcomes. Makers from a host of countries – from first time sewers to experienced arpilleristas - using their scraps of fabric, have created dolls of every shape, size and hue, dolls who embody a vast range of actions and emotions and who traverse past, present and future. As the dolls took shape, as their creators gave them colour, action, purpose and voice, they, in turn embodied the messages of their makers and promoted a depth of reflection. Uninvited, the makers have passed on these rich reflections to us, the core of which we present to share with you, the viewer.
Above all, these dolls confront us with the glaring gap between the rights articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the lived experiences of many human beings, over 70 years later. May the spirit of these dolls and their makers prompt and embolden us to confront Human Rights abuses and to embed a culture of Human Rights within our own community and globally.
