Latest news with #V&ADundee
Scotsman
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Weaving Angus into Art: V&A Showcase for Design Talent
An Angus-based basket weaver, inspired by the region's beaches and woodlands, is set to exhibit her work at V&A Dundee as part of a national celebration of Scottish creativity. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Jane Haselden, who relocated to Montrose from Orkney with her husband and five children nearly a year ago, creates decorative pieces that reflect the natural world around her. Through her business, Five in the Nest, Jane uses locally gathered natural materials, including sea glass, shells, pottery and woodland finds, gathered during coastal and woodland walks, as well as plants from her garden to produce natural dyes for her plant fibres. Since settling in Angus, mum-of-five Jane has also been incorporating locally sourced linen thread, a nod to the area's rich agricultural heritage. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jane, who is self-taught, will showcase her baskets and basketry vessels, some of which contain items foraged locally, at the three-day Tea Green Summer Design Market at V&A Dundee. The market will run from Friday 25 July to Sunday 27 July (10am-5pm), with Jane attending on Friday and Saturday. Jane's baskets Now in its 11th year, Tea Green Events has become a major platform for independent Scottish designers, drawing thousands of visitors to its markets across the country. This month's V&A Dundee event will feature around 60 of Scotland's most talented creatives, offering a diverse mix of artwork, textiles, ceramics, jewellery and more. Joanne McFadyen, Founder and a graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, said, 'V&A Dundee holds a special place in our journey. While our markets are now established across Scotland, securing V&A Dundee back in 2019 was a pivotal moment for us. It's so rewarding to watch visitors connect with our designers and makers, and we're delighted to welcome Jane and her beautiful, nature-inspired baskets to our growing creative community.' Jane added, 'The natural environment around me has always influenced my work. Whether materials, colours or patterns, everything is inspired by what I see when I'm out and about. We absolutely love exploring Angus and are so grateful to live by the coast. There are a lot less trees on Orkney, so the woodlands and glens here are a particular treat! Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There's no doubt the internet offers fantastic opportunities but, during our five years on Orkney, it was difficult to attend craft fairs or connect with people in person. Taking part in the Tea Green market at V&A Dundee is incredibly exciting and a chance to meet people face-to-face, share the stories behind my creations and connect with other talented local designers and makers.' Jane Haselden Erin Thomson, Retail Manager at V&A Dundee, said, 'V&A Dundee and Tea Green believe passionately in championing independent Scottish designers and makers, as do our visitors who continue to tell us how much they enjoy coming to the Design Markets to connect with and support independent businesses. There's always a fantastic atmosphere during the Tea Green Design Markets, making it a great time to visit the museum.' Tea Green Events' 2025 schedule will also include events at Bowhouse in the East Neuk of Fife, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and The Burrell in Collection in Glasgow, and, for the first time, National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait on Queen Street in Edinburgh.
The National
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Eunice Olumide on living a life full of contradictions
She's harnessed the lessons from growing up in one of Edinburgh's most challenging areas to help young people conquer the limitations of poverty; she's made a major impact on the world of fashion despite initially having zero interest in clothes; she's passionate about the inspiring power of music but kept her own musical life quiet for years. Next month, she's involved in a number of shows at the [[Edinburgh]] Fringe, including screenings of her debut documentary Secret Lives: The Untold Story Of British Hip-Hop, which she directed and produced. The film is also being shown at the Fringe by the Sea in North Berwick. She also has a fashion and sustainability event – Why Do You Wear What You Wear? – at the Fringe. She wrote a book about fashion in 2018, has contributed anonymously to seminal hip-hop records and is planning to release the first album of music under her own name next year. She's also a V&A Dundee design champion, an actress, a masters graduate and was awarded an Open University honorary degree. READ MORE: Police Scotland issue terror charge for man with 'Palestine Action poster in window' As if all that isn't enough, she's spent years working with a range of charities, many aimed at inspiring young people to build better lives. If there is a common thread running through all her work, it is a determination to inspire and motivate people from under-privileged areas and give them a voice. Eunice Olumide's story begins on the streets of Wester Hailes, an area on the outskirts of Edinburgh which has long been afflicted by social deprivation. It was one of the five most deprived areas of Scotland in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) published in 2020. 'I just grew up in a really strange time in Scotland where it was nuts,' Olumide tells me. 'Living in a council estate was kind of fun in a weird way, but it was like Lord Of The Flies. In those days, people would meet from one scheme and have a pagger, we'd call it. A fight in a big field. 'It was like a battlefield and I'd go down there on my scooter and just whiz through everyone watching it in what seemed slow motion. I remember growing up around loads of people with really serious drug and alcohol dependency issues.' Olumide has talked before about the pressures of growing up as one of the very few black children in her community. Her strict mother made sure she didn't go off the rails herself. She had been born in Scotland after her parents had moved here from Nigeria when her father accepted a posting to Rosyth with the British navy. She later moved to Wester Hailes. 'My mum was a hardcore African parent,' she says. 'You could get away with nothing. You couldn't sneak out the house. She was really strict, which was a lifesaver. 'I'm first generation born in Scotland, and so when I was in my house, everything would change. The food would change, the language would change, the sense of humour. 'And I was always travelling to West Africa from a really young age and remember trying to work out why I could just pick fruit there and eat it, but when I was in Scotland, I had to pay money for it. I remember being bamboozled by that.' Instead of being drawn into a culture of drink and drugs like many of her contemporaries, she became involved with various charities helping young people who had been attracted to that lifestyle. 'Coming from that kind of background, that kind of a circle of deprivation, you can feel like there's nowhere else for you to go,' she says. READ MORE: Brian Leishman: 'Anas Sarwar hasn't spoken to me in six months' 'I think that people perceive Edinburgh as a place where there is no danger and no bad things happening, which is not true. I would probably say Edinburgh is worse [than Glasgow], because the city's housing schemes are more isolated and there is a stronger sense of community in Glasgow.' She came to see hip-hop as a way of reaching and teaching the young people from her community. 'I felt it had a remarkable way of galvanising young people. And when you're in a situation where people feel like they don't count, or they're not important in society, or don't have a good example or support at home, I felt this music was a means to help people in my community. 'Hip-hop was the music of my generation. To me, it was literally about saving people's lives. It was something that we could all do that would take our minds off our reality. 'There are different aspects of hip-hop culture. There's the graffiti aspect, which has been widely adopted worldwide by people who are not into hip-hop and by people who are. 'You've got the breakdancing, because the dance was a huge part of the culture when it was invented in New York City. Then there is the rap, which is the poetry of it. 'But what I tend to find is that outside of the Afro-Caribbean community, another element is always erased. That missing element is consciousness. "When you study the history of hip-hop, it was a cultural art form that was created by Afro-Caribbean people predominantly in the United States of America, by black people who were coming out of the Nixon era and the war on drugs, who were coming out of almost apartheid and getting their civil rights. It was also a peaceful means of protest against police brutality. 'It was in opposition to the lifestyle of drugs and illegality. It was probably the only thing other than the church that really spoke to people in a positive way, taking them away from dangerous lifestyles. 'But pretty much after the 1990s, that [element] kind of got hijacked. Rap became extremely commercial, and the focus was more on gangsterism and the glorification of material possessions and the consciousness was lost.' Olumide sees parallels between the wider adoption of hip-hop and elements of traditional Scottish culture. READ MORE: Rachel Reeves says she wants to help first-time buyers. It won't work 'It's a colonisation and the loss of folklore … this idea that it doesn't matter, because it's not written down. With a lot of Afro-Caribbean cultural institutions or creations, they're not seen as Afro-Caribbean. They're seen as just something that anyone can use in the same way that I could do with Scottish dancing or playing the bagpipes. 'I personally think – and I'm not forcing this on anyone, or saying that that other people are wrong – that if I want to play the bagpipes or if I want to do Scottish traditional dancing it makes sense that I should have some understanding and knowledge of the culture of Scotland, and possibly respect for the history of this dance or this instrument, and an understanding of what it means. I think that's quite important, but it's not in the world that we live in today.' Olumide got involved in collaborations with a wide range of hip-hop and reggae artists, including Roots Manuva, Mos Def and Damian Marley. She also teamed up with Glasgow reggae and dub outfit Mungo's Hi Fi on an album which earned a place in a list of the seminal albums in the 50 years of hip-hop, the only Scottish album mentioned. While she was making music anonymously, she was also carving out a reputation in a very different world as one of Britain's top models, walking global catwalks for the top designers and appearing in the pages of the world's most glamorous magazines. "I was never into fashion. I was definitely not a girl who wore make-up or was particularly girly. I loved sports … football, basketball and athletics. I didn't like fashion until I found a new appreciation for it. What I do like about it is that it is creating art. 'I just used to get scouted a lot everywhere I went. And eventually, when I was around 15, I was like, 'oh, give it a go'. Honestly, it was so simplistic when I was really young. I worked in this luxury high-end store but eventually I thought it didn't make sense. 'If I worked in the shop, I needed to get dressed up and wear makeup and stand for eight hours a day. I earned less money than I did at a fashion show where I only had to dress up for a few hours that day.' READ MORE: Scotland's most photographed street targeted by vandals as police launch probe It must have been difficult reconciling the glamorous world of fashion with the more 'roots' world of conscious hip-hop and reggae, where Olumide says she would very consciously 'dress in the most unattractive ways possible' as an antidote to the way many women are portrayed in the more commercial world of successful hip-hop, which she describes as ''hypersexualised''. She kept the two worlds apart because she believes music should be more about talent than appearance. 'The fashion industry is one where I can understand if someone says, 'I want this type of look, this specific look, this is my customer … so I need someone that looks like this.' 'Whereas with music, there has traditionally been quite a strong sense of discrimination. You could look at any kind of pop music, standards for females are totally different than for men. Males can get away with wearing anything and doing anything, whereas females have to be a certain size, have a certain look. 'For me, music was never something to make money with. It was always something that I really cared about and something that I felt helped people. I didn't really want to do anything that would change that even if it meant turning down deals, very good deals, which people think is crazy. They're like, 'if you could be a multi-millionaire and be a British Rihanna, why would you not do that?' I love talents like Rihanna but do you think the world needs more of that? "That's not to criticise you if you're a female and you want to use your body ... that's nothing to do with me. I believe in free will. But for me personally, I just felt like there were too many examples of that. 'There has only been one properly successful female rapper who was conscious, and that was Lauryn Hill. Look at the abuse and cancellation she's had to put up with in her career. 'People tell me that I've been way ahead of my time, that I'm doing stuff when no-one else is doing it, and it's just too much for them, they just can't handle it. Life is about timing, you know, and you could be the best thing in the world, but if people are not ready, there's not much you can do about it.' Olumide's determination to campaign for social awareness is also apparent in her fashion work. which has embraced sustainability campaigns, a tribute to the Windrush generation at London Fashion Week and even a much-praised book, How To Get Into Fashion. 'Even in my fashion career, I only work with brands that I really believe in, with that kind of social justice background,' she says. 'All the work I do is influenced by my core beliefs.' READ MORE: Here's why Reform are issuing threats to firms over renewables But all this activism comes with a price tag. 'I think most successful artists avoid saying anything remotely political,' she said. 'Most people are not going to do or say anything which could result in them losing an income. Artists that really stand for things and have a cause can lose their label, they can lose their deal. They get dropped by agents. 'In the world we live in today, it's OK to make music that's not in-depth, music that is more about just enjoying the moment and hedonism. That is acceptable in society. It's not really acceptable to talk about serious political issues. People don't really like it. If you don't do anything that rocks the boat or stand for anything, you're likely to become much more successful. I really have suffered in my career ... you do when you actually stand for something.' Other factors have also made life difficult on occasion. There aren't many Scottish rappers and even fewer of those are women. And Olumide has also faced racism. 'When I started booking concerts, and I brought everyone from Busta Rhymes to Coolio to Scotland, people used to rip down my posters and give me abuse like the N word and 'go back home to your own country'. That really affected me, mentally and physically. It was really intense. It was like, you're Scottish, you're a female, you're Afro-Caribbean … I basically had all the things.' She's seen big changes in Scotland over the years. 'Scotland, 20, 30 years ago, was totally different to how it is now. In terms of supporting people from difficult backgrounds, or issues of race and racism, or equality, I'm quite proud of where Scotland is now. It is actually a leader in Western society for how to do things properly. 'When you look at geopolitics, and you look at the reality of some of the actions larger nations are engaging in, I don't think that those are the same values or the same agendas that most Scottish people are interested in or want to be involved in. I think we're living at a certain time where there's some really serious political issues. 'It could be argued that the world might be going into a third world war. When you're a nation that doesn't have sovereignty, you don't have control over certain things. Scotland is such a small country that it's not in its interest to be in a situation where it can't take actions that benefit its people. 'If someone says to me, 'do you think Scotland could be independent?' I say of course it can. Why could it not?' As for the future, there is no sign of her easing off on that work any time soon. 'I feel like I'm operating at about 10% of my potential and always have been. I've never really felt like I've had enough opportunity to kind of actually show how much I have to give and share. 'But I'm now old enough to say: If no-one else wants to allow me to demonstrate and show what I can do, then I'll just do it on my own. 'It's not necessarily that I always want to do everything on my own. It's more that I'm not going to wait for people to give me opportunities. 'If I've worked hard enough and I'm experienced and professional enough to do a job, then I'll just do it. I don't really believe in kind of sitting around waiting.'
Wales Online
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Exhibition of Palestinian dress and embroidery to open
Exhibition of Palestinian dress and embroidery to open Thread Memory: Embroidery From Palestine brings together more than 30 historical dresses, alongside veils, head-dresses, jewellery, accessories and archival photographs. (Image: Photo by) An exhibition of Palestinian dress and embroidery is set to open at V&A Dundee, as the city marks 45 years since it was twinned with Nablus in the West Bank. Thread Memory: Embroidery From Palestine brings together more than 30 historical dresses, alongside veils, head-dresses, jewellery, accessories and archival photographs. The exhibition explores the ways tatreez – an ancient practice of elaborate hand-embroidery – has shaped and expressed Palestinian national identity since the late 19th century and evolved into a form of resistance and solidarity. It also showcases the regional variations in dressmaking and embroidery across Palestine, with the cut, colour, textiles, stitches and motifs on Palestinian women's dress being both a highly skilled craft and a language which reveals who the wearer is and where they are from. Leonie Bell, director of V&A Dundee, said: "Thread Memory: Embroidery From Palestine is an exhibition that through research, collections and partnership explores the traditions and material culture of Palestinian dress and the vast range of regional styles that tell important stories about the lives of the women who made, adapted and wore these dresses, jewellery, head-dresses and accessories. "The exhibition also explores the 45-year-old connection between Dundee and Nablus, a twinning relationship that has brought these two cities together, and it celebrates contemporary Palestinian design and creativity from Dundee, Scotland and across the UK." Article continues below The exhibition includes "spectacular" historical dresses from villages in Gaza – including one that was damaged in the bombing of the Rafah Museum in 2023. It also features the dress worn by Dundee councillor Nadia El-Nakla at the swearing-in ceremony of her husband, former first minister Humza Yousaf. Ms El-Nakla said she is "delighted" to welcome the exhibition to V&A Dundee. "Design and culture are peaceful and powerful forms of resistance and solidarity," she said. "Palestinian fashion and dress express ideas about who we have been, who we are and the lives we want to live in peace and with dignity. "This exhibition is opening at a time of extreme pain and suffering. It's bringing design from Palestine to life and tells the stories of women's lives in Palestine. Article continues below "I am proud that my dress, or thobe, that I wore at the Scottish Parliament is there as an expression of my Scottish-Palestinian identity, and as a symbol of solidarity, hope and peace." The exhibition was developed in partnership with the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit in the West Bank, drawing on local expertise and objects from Palestine, as well as with Art Jameel and the V&A. Thread Memory: Embroidery From Palestine is free and on show at V&A Dundee from Thursday until spring 2026.
STV News
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- STV News
Exhibition of Palestinian dress and embroidery to open at V&A Dundee
An exhibition of Palestinian dress and embroidery is set to open at V&A Dundee, as the city marks 45 years since it was twinned with Nablus in the West Bank. Thread Memory: Embroidery From Palestine brings together more than 30 historical dresses, alongside veils, head-dresses, jewellery, accessories and archival photographs. The exhibition explores the ways tatreez – an ancient practice of elaborate hand-embroidery – has shaped and expressed Palestinian national identity since the late 19th century and evolved into a form of resistance and solidarity. It also showcases the regional variations in dressmaking and embroidery across Palestine, with the cut, colour, textiles, stitches and motifs on Palestinian women's dress being both a highly skilled craft and a language which reveals who the wearer is and where they are from. Leonie Bell, director of V&A Dundee, said: 'Thread Memory: Embroidery From Palestine is an exhibition that through research, collections and partnership explores the traditions and material culture of Palestinian dress and the vast range of regional styles that tell important stories about the lives of the women who made, adapted and wore these dresses, jewellery, head-dresses and accessories. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
North Wales Chronicle
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Exhibition of Palestinian dress and embroidery to open at V&A Dundee
Thread Memory: Embroidery From Palestine brings together more than 30 historical dresses, alongside veils, head-dresses, jewellery, accessories and archival photographs. The exhibition explores the ways tatreez – an ancient practice of elaborate hand-embroidery – has shaped and expressed Palestinian national identity since the late 19th century and evolved into a form of resistance and solidarity. It also showcases the regional variations in dressmaking and embroidery across Palestine, with the cut, colour, textiles, stitches and motifs on Palestinian women's dress being both a highly skilled craft and a language which reveals who the wearer is and where they are from. Leonie Bell, director of V&A Dundee, said: 'Thread Memory: Embroidery From Palestine is an exhibition that through research, collections and partnership explores the traditions and material culture of Palestinian dress and the vast range of regional styles that tell important stories about the lives of the women who made, adapted and wore these dresses, jewellery, head-dresses and accessories. 'The exhibition also explores the 45-year-old connection between Dundee and Nablus, a twinning relationship that has brought these two cities together, and it celebrates contemporary Palestinian design and creativity from Dundee, Scotland and across the UK.' The exhibition includes 'spectacular' historical dresses from villages in Gaza – including one that was damaged in the bombing of the Rafah Museum in 2023. It also features the dress worn by Dundee councillor Nadia El-Nakla at the swearing-in ceremony of her husband, former first minister Humza Yousaf. Ms El-Nakla said she is 'delighted' to welcome the exhibition to V&A Dundee. 'Design and culture are peaceful and powerful forms of resistance and solidarity,' she said. 'Palestinian fashion and dress express ideas about who we have been, who we are and the lives we want to live in peace and with dignity. 'This exhibition is opening at a time of extreme pain and suffering. It's bringing design from Palestine to life and tells the stories of women's lives in Palestine. 'I am proud that my dress, or thobe, that I wore at the Scottish Parliament is there as an expression of my Scottish-Palestinian identity, and as a symbol of solidarity, hope and peace.' The exhibition was developed in partnership with the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit in the West Bank, drawing on local expertise and objects from Palestine, as well as with Art Jameel and the V&A. Thread Memory: Embroidery From Palestine is free and on show at V&A Dundee from Thursday until spring 2026.
