Entitled Colours of The Silk Road, Suzani embroideries from Uzbekistan, this special exhibition ran from 20 June 2008 to 4 January 2009. Its aims were to tell the story of these embroideries and to inspire visitors to explore the social history of the Uzbek society that produced them.
The exhibition told the story of Suzanis through five themes. The first told of the making of Suzanis being a family affair; a collective effort to produce a dowry worthy of a daughter, which began as soon as a girl was born, and was completed in time for her marriage.
The second theme looked at the community interaction that took place within Bukharan society that enabled the making of these embroideries. It examined the Jewish community’s role in the spinning and dyeing of the silken threads used to decorate Suzanis; the patterns and motifs, and the variety of embroidery stitches used which were inspired by earlier embroideries made in the region; and the support of a neighbourhood’s women when called upon to help with the embroidery effort to complete the dowry pieces for a wedding’s deadline.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album “The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the Collections of Great Britain” (Volume XLVI) in the series "Сultural legacy of Uzbekistan in the world collections".
The main sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.
