Material Witnesses is free and runs until 5th August at St Mary’s Church
An exhibition which celebrates local people through the lens of fashion and textiles is running until the 5th of August at St Mary’s Church in Walthamstow.
Material Witnesses features London’s only craft jeans maker, Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, and Proportion London, a leading UK mannequin manufacturer. Also displayed are unique items from the Pearly Queens of London, Black Girl Knit Club, banners created by students at Walthamstow’s Sir George Monoux College, and Sunday Best – a photography installation celebrating faith and fashion by acclaimed photographer, Ja-vanie Stephens.
The exhibition is primarily housed in the new exhibition space – built as part of St Mary’s regeneration project, which was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund – but also spills into the main body of the church. From the balcony hangs Flags of our High Street Treasures which celebrates Walthamstow high street and was co-designed with traders, residents and community activists, and was led by Alisa Ruzavina and Artillery CIC.
Speaking to the Echo Korantema, exhibition curator, said: “Material Witnesses uses textiles, fashion and clothing to explore what’s important to us as people – from our creativity, to our culture to the environment. It specifically looks at how we use textiles in everyday activism – so the little things we do to express who we are, show what we believe in or bring people together.
The exhibition is a bit of a love letter to Waltham Forest too. Ameena [assistant curator] and I both grew up in the borough (Ameena in Chingford, myself in Leyton) so we really enjoyed learning and sharing the very eclectic stories of all of our neighbours. There’s so much going on in the borough, this exhibition could have easily been twice the size!”
Ameena told the Echo: “Having grown up in the area, it was inspiring to connect with the diverse local community and discover their relationships with sustainability and spirituality from grass roots to high fashion.”
Visitors are also welcome to purchase food and drinks from Froth & Rind, the Walthamstow-based independent coffee shop which has recently opened its second location in Walthamstow Village.
The exhibition is free and runs until 5 August 2023.
Find out more by going to the Material Witnesses website
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
