Women, Work and Weave (2023)
Women, Work and Weave was a live panel discussion held at the Truman Brewery, Shoreditch, London (16th July 2023), bringing together artists Rosa Avilez, Uroos Jamal, and Emily Tonge.
Across the conversation, the panel considered the cultural and political implications of weaving as one of the earliest technologies, tracing its relationship to systems of labour, production, and gendered work. Drawing on research spanning Honduras, India, and the North of England, the discussion moved between textile histories and contemporary industry, addressing the conditions of fast fashion and its disproportionate impact on women. Foregrounding lived experiences of making and working, the conversation attended to the realities of production – from industrial mill labour to cooperative and home-based practices – alongside the social and economic conditions that shape them. The panel also reflected on the absence of working-class women’s histories within dominant narratives, and the role of artistic practice in making these experiences visible.
The event opened up questions around the visibility of labour, the cost of production, and the structures that continue to shape how textile work is valued and understood.
Emily Tonge 