When I first started my research into Nini\u2019s life I was presented with boxes pertaining to her work and life. I spent the next two years cutting and pasting to find out where Nini went and what she did. Maps were invaluable; they allowed me to understand the corners of Baluchestan Nini had traveled to. My father is an architect and I am no stranger to topography and topographical maps. When I went to Baluchestan, the women embroiderers asked me where I was from, and I pulled out my book of maps. I showed them not only my own travels but where they and their villages were situated in the country and their placement in the wider world.<\/span><\/p>\n

During that first visit, I had the privilege of meeting the women Nini had collaborated with, as well as their daughters and granddaughters. I expressed my desire to return one day and collaborate with these women who held the treasures of their craft at their fingertips.<\/span><\/p>\n

The land where they lived had also enthralled me, and after that first trip I dedicated years to researching the region\u2019s rich embroidery tradition, its topography and flora. In 2022, I finally carved out a path to work with the new generation of women embroiders in Irandeghan. The first designs I made were the result of countless hours pouring over maps and zooming in and out on Google Maps to identify the villages where these artisans lived.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was only natural for me \u2014 almost an unconscious decision on my part \u2014 to gravitate towards designs inspired by mountains. I felt an intrinsic connection with those spaces, the elevations and peaks that had guided my early journeys. Those initial explorations had become an integral part of my creative process. I fused my passion for landscape, design and topographic maps with Baluchi embroidery, and together with the women of Irandeghan, we embarked on the journey of \u201cStitching Baluchestan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

My intention is to re-establish the pristine embroidery on the cultural map and this could only be accomplished with the women\u2019s active participation. However, the actual realization was more complex than I had initially envisioned. Baluchestan is still in turmoil and navigating it posed many challenges. With limited internet connectivity, unreliable telephone services and generally difficult access, I find myself reaching out to individuals in other villages to relay my messages to the women embroiderers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, half a century has passed since Nini\u2019s pioneering efforts, and the region remains largely unchanged \u2014 remote and obscure.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Contemporary artist Bibi Manavi’s research into the iconic fashion designs of Mehremonir Jahanbani led her to the farthest corners of Iran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":480,"featured_media":29550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,3147,56,2598],"tags":[3148,3149,3150,636,3152,3151,1818],"coauthors":[3146],"class_list":["post-29273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essay","category-tmr-36-architecture","category-women","category-women-at-work","tag-baluchestan","tag-crafts","tag-embroidery","tag-fashion","tag-irandeghan","tag-stitching","tag-women","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n