Textiles have long been used to preserve history, celebrate culture and tell stories. During a recent excursion to Belfast, members of Threads of Lore experienced another powerful dimension of textile art through a visit to the Threads of Empowerment: Conflict Textiles’ International Journey exhibition at the Ulster Museum.
Part of the Belfast International Arts Festival programme, the exhibition offered a moving insight into how textiles have been used across the world to document lived experiences of conflict, oppression, human rights violations, poverty and environmental challenges. For a group dedicated to preserving Ireland’s heritage through embroidery, it was both an inspiring and thought-provoking experience.
When Thread Becomes a Voice
Unlike traditional decorative embroidery, the textiles featured in the exhibition tell deeply personal stories. Created by individuals and communities from around the world, each piece serves as a visual testimony, expressing experiences that words alone cannot always convey.
The exhibition explores how needle and thread have become a language of resilience, remembrance and hope, allowing makers to share their stories while creating a permanent record of significant moments in history.
For the members of Threads of Lore, the exhibition reinforced the remarkable ability of textiles to preserve stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
The Story of the Arpilleras
A central focus of the exhibition is the arpillera, a distinctive form of appliquéd textile that originated in Chile during General Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship between 1973 and 1990.
Created mainly by women, arpilleras were sewn from scraps of fabric stitched onto hessian backing. They became a powerful means of documenting violence, repression and the disappearance of loved ones at a time when open expression was often impossible.
Through these carefully crafted scenes, women found a way to tell the truth about their lives, preserve memories and advocate for justice.
Today, arpilleras continue to inspire communities around the world to use textile art as a form of storytelling and social awareness.
A Truly International Collection
Curated by Roberta Bacic, the internationally renowned Conflict Textiles collection now contains more than 400 textile artworks from countries across the globe.
Since its first exhibition in Ireland in 2008, the collection has travelled internationally, encouraging dialogue around peace, human rights and reconciliation while highlighting the universal power of creative expression.
The exhibition at the Ulster Museum also celebrated the museum’s long-standing collaboration with Conflict Textiles, showcasing a collection that has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors and introduced many new audiences to both textile art and the stories it carries.
Inspiration for Threads of Lore
Although the focus of Threads of Lore is very different, members recognised many shared values throughout the exhibition.
Both projects demonstrate that textiles can preserve memory, strengthen communities and connect people with stories that deserve to be remembered. Whether recording mythology and folklore, celebrating local heritage or documenting lived experience, embroidery has the unique ability to communicate across generations.
The visit also highlighted the extraordinary skill involved in textile storytelling. Every piece displayed combined artistic creativity with careful craftsmanship, reminding the group that every stitch contributes to a much larger narrative.
As Threads of Lore continues work on The Journey of the River Boyne in Threads and develops future heritage projects, the exhibition provided fresh inspiration for how textile art can educate, engage and encourage meaningful conversations.
Continuing the Journey
Visits such as this are an important part of the Threads of Lore journey. Learning from other textile traditions, meeting fellow makers and exploring exhibitions of international significance helps strengthen the group’s own creative practice while reinforcing the value of preserving stories through thread.
The members returned to County Meath with a renewed appreciation for the universal language of textiles and the many ways embroidery can celebrate heritage, inspire understanding and connect communities across cultures and generations.