During December 2006 and June- July 2007 Seiwa Cunningham worked with groups in Slough and East London to produce pieces of textile arts through reminiscence activity. In Slough, Seiwa worked alongside writer Samina Baig and centre users at the Milan Centre, to create a wall hanging which brought their stories and images together. In East Ham, Seiwa worked with ladies from the Ekta project, who meet regularly at the Trinity Centre, to produce the above large scale piece of textile. 'The Happy Sisters'.

Seiwa Cunningham is a textile designer with a keen interest in alternative methods of printing and image transfer; with the emphasis on playfulness and experimentation.  Seiwa works with layered textures, fabrics and mediums.  Her present preoccupation is with her past and recording her early memories using photographic imagery and text on fabric.  Seiwa also works with elders and those with learning difficulties to produce reminiscences and expressions of self that serve not only as works of art, but also as ‘journals’.

The Happy Sisters

(1.4 x 1m Fabric, stitch, glue, beads, digital imaging)

‘The Happy Sisters’ is a mixed media piece based on the reminiscences of the ladies of the Ekta Milan Ashram in 2007.The two girls in the forefront represent the women’s childhoods.  The girls are dressed in western clothes, but their memories and surroundings are ingrained in India, Pakistan, Kenya and Uganda.  Maps of these countries appear both hidden and more obviously in various parts of the image.  Many of the ladies are widows, yet their marriages and those of their children, featured strongly in their reminiscences, and images of married couples, wedding ceremonies and some of their husbands, appear in the piece to signify the importance of that part of their lives and culture.  The group loves to perform, sing and dance and the piece is based loosely on the idea of a Bollywood poster.  When asked during one session to come up with a title for a Bollywood film of their own lives, they all refused to entertain the idea of a film based on individuals.  Instead, they insisted they were all sisters and agreed that ‘Happy Sisters’ best described them.

The ‘jewels’ in the piece, play with the idea of India being ‘The jewel in the crown’ of the British Empire and of the colours of India.

The text in the background merges the narratives of their individual stories – all overlapping and criss-crossing each other, to represent how their lives and pasts intersected and diverged to bring them to this point where they became a ‘sisterhood’.

Other work produced by Seiwa Cunningham

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List of work

1.'Ruth & Mark' - a Memory Collage for a friend's wedding
2.Detail of 'Time Caught' - A double sized quilt made to commemorate The Festival Of Britain and the 2007 re-opening of The Royal Festival Hall

3. Wall hanging made by Seiwa and members of the Milan group in Slough, December 2006

4. 'My Life' 34cmx50cm - A memory Collage describing Seiwa's early childhood.

5. Reminiscence Dresses. Each dress is approx 34cmx32cm Telling Seiwa's early life story.

6.'Memories Don't Leave' - A memory collage made for friends in memory of their late parents.

See more of Seiwa's work at the following sites:
http://redallover.co.uk/
http://redallover75.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5313950
http://www.flickr.com/photos/redallover/