A Journey of Time

Ammna Sheikh created a video piece named ‘Travel Embroidery’ where she took her work on a journey and measured time through embroidery. This video was recorded in Pakistan, in various places around her family home, connecting to her roots and using this experience to build a bridge between her British identity and Pakistani identity. She embroidered on a piece of fabric purchased from Scotland which has been screen-printed with symbols attached to Pakistan. The symbols that are incorporated into the fabric are based on the history of how Pakistani textile designs originated from the Mughal era. Combining this with her family history in textiles, and how my grandparents manufactured their own handmade bags in their factory. This led her to including her family name شیخ (Sheikh) written in Urdu. The bright colours are inspired by that time, using hues of yellows, reds, blues and greens.