Manal Almaimouni

and designer

textile artist

Manal Almaimouni

from kuwait

Portfolio

Manal
AlMaimouni

A contemporary textile artist from Kuwait and a member of Al Sadu Society.

“The inspiration for my work comes from my culture and its traditions. I find it important to explore cultural relevance through my unique weaving techniques and numerous possibilities of sadu weaving. My work is reflected through the introduction of wood as a new element of weaving”.

As a child, I was surrounded by traditional Sadu tapestries. I remember how my eyes would dance along the intricate interlacing of yarn and thread, and how my mind would wonder and loop around the woven patterns, in that guileless way childish minds do, imagining all sorts of colourful characters going on outrageous adventures.

As I matured, I started to realise the sociological importance of weaving as a medium into which Kuwaiti Khaleeji women translated the longstanding tradition of oral storytelling into abstract expressions of colour and pattern, documenting the female perspective on beauty, identity, and environment.

As a woman, it felt natural and essential to eulogize the traditional role of women as documentarians by experimenting with the technical process of weaving and challenging its conceptual potentials as an artistic medium.

Thus, as an artist, I have implemented modern and personalized weaving techniques to create pieces that overlay traditional narrative and contemporary utilitarianism to revive the relevance of Sadu and its weaving counterparts in modern society.

ragoum benches collection

Ragoum is formed by binding or wrapping warp threads together, the yarns are always brightly coloured. The weaver usually use this technique to add joy in her weaving and to break the monotony in alsadu weaving

These woven benches are a modern interpretation of the surroundings of desert environment. I have used a meaningful motives such as horse tooth, eyelashes, earrings and more. A traditional sadu pattern in a design that combined natural wood with goat hair, sheep wool and jute.

The technique inspired by “ragoum” 
is a weft face design technique, the warp is completely hidden by the weft yarn. Ragoum is a formed by binding or wrapping warp threads together, the yarns are always brightly coloured. The weaver usually use this technique to add joy in her weaving and to break the monotony in alsadu weaving

As an artist, I have implemented modern and personalized weaving techniques to create pieces that overlay traditional narrative and contemporary utilitarianism to revive the relevance of Sadu and its weaving counterparts in modern society.

Red is a predominant color, being an atribute of Sadu beauty and a symbol of happiness against the background of the sand - the color of the desert.