nana 2021

This short video (3:49 min) is a tribute to my grandmother, an unseen labourer, a gifted maker, and a poet at heart. Though societal gender norms denied her the chance to pursue poetry, she found her voice in textiles. From a young age, she poured her creativity into stitching: crafting clothes, dolls, oil lamp covers, and pot holders from leftover fabrics. Among all her handmade pieces, it was the pot holders that she loved most, vibrant, original, full of character. She made hundreds, giving them away freely to neighbours, friends, and strangers alike. Her quiet artistry, shaped by constraint but never diminished by it, continues to shine, outlasting and outshining the creative legacy of any man in our family. This work honours her brilliance, her resilience, and the beauty she made by hand.

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