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‘Threading the Commonwealth’
By Varunika Hapuwatte Ruwanpura in Melbourne
As Melbourne’s city centre is filled with people caught up in the excitement of the 2006 Commonwealth Games which opened on March 15, in the heart of the city the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) Gallery hosts a unique exhibition.

‘Threading the Commonwealth – textile tradition, culture, trade and politics’ is the monumental title of a monumental exhibition on from March 1 to April 30. Displaying the textile traditions of Commonwealth countries and including exhibits from nations ranging from Papua New Guinea, India, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and of course Sri Lanka, this is just one of many events that make up ‘Festival Melbourne’ celebrating the hosting of the Commonwealth Games here.

Barefoot (Pvt) Ltd has the honour of being the sole exhibitor from Sri Lanka. Items designed by Barbara Sansoni in the 1970s are included in the weavings section of the exhibition.

Sansoni’s designs are inspired by the landscape, flora and fauna of Sri Lanka. At the RMIT gallery, her geometric weavings create a splash of vivid, tropical colour against the spare white walls. The tapestry titled, ‘Island Mist’ and ‘Peacocks flying in Yala’, conjures up scenic images of Sri Lanka for those who have been there. This section also includes cotton hand weavings from Nagaland, India and gold and silk thread Songket weavings from Malaysia.
Suzanne Davies, RMIT Gallery Director and Chief Curator conceived the idea for the exhibition in September 2004 working closely with the Gallery’s exhibition co-ordinator, Helen Rayment to bring it to fruition.

The crowning glory of the exhibition is the ‘Canopy of the Commonwealth’, that hangs over the entrance foyer. This community participation project produced by residents across the state of Victoria in Australia has 108 individual panels that have been variously screen printed, embroidered, appliquéd or painted.

The canopy represents the multi-cultural diversity of Victoria. Melbourne is also home to one of the largest Sri Lankan communities outside of the island, a fact you can’t miss when you look at this canopy. Three separately placed panels are decorated with a Sri Lankan elephant dressed for a perahera, Kandyan dancers and an embroidered map of the island.

‘Threading the Commonwealth’ took a long time and tremendous effort from people in many countries to put together. The diverse textile traditions of Commonwealth countries are masterfully represented here. Barefoot’s inclusion in this landmark exhibition is a tribute to the long and creative career of Barbara Sansoni.

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