Egyptian khayamiya door panel (late 20th century) (TRC 2024.1544). Photograph author.My name is Christina de Korte, and I am a visual artist and currently a second-year research master student in Religious Studies at Utrecht University, specializing in the intersection between textiles, art, and (material) religion. From September 2024 until mid-December 2024, I am an intern at the TRC.
From September 2022 until April 2023, I lived in Egypt for eight months to learn the Egyptian Arabic dialect, study Egyptian art(ists) and textiles, and follow various courses about local techniques. I fell in love with khayamiya, a textile that is omnipresent in Egypt.
Sandals from Egypt (1987) (TRC 1997.0053a-b).Originally, this appliqué technique is mostly used for making large hand-sewn tents for outside usage. Nowadays, khayamiya can also be created with other techniques, such as being machine-sewn or (digitally) printed. After I became more familiar with the Egyptian Arabic dialect, I came into contact with a tentmaker called Ahmed, who was willing to share his knowledge with me. For two days a week, I had khayamiya courses at the Street of the Tentmakers (Sharia Khayamiya).
In the summer of 2023, I visited the exhibition on khayamiya at the Textile Research Center (TRC) in Leiden and met Gillian. She told me about the activities of the TRC and showed me the depot and the library. This made me enthusiastic to apply as an intern. This internship provides the possibility to learn more about textiles, since the TRC has an impressive textile collection, including an extensive collection of khayamiya. In January 2025, I am planning to go back to Cairo to do fieldwork for my master’s thesis on khayamiya.
Introduction on weaving during the TRC Intensive Textile Course, which really sparked my interest and inspired me in many ways. Photograph by Christina de Korte.This internship is a great starting point for writing my thesis, acquiring more knowledge about doing research on textiles, and developing a new understanding of textiles. Furthermore, I get insights into the various possibilities in the field of textiles, seeing as the TRC works on all kinds of projects and with a wide variety of people; from researchers to museum curators.
During this internship, I dive into the Egyptian collection of the TRC, mostly focusing on the khayamiya collection. It is unbelievably inspiring to let (similar) pieces which I have been studying in books and during museum visits, go through my hands.
This hands-on approach also gives insight into how to use material culture in various ways. It is a great opportunity to learn more about how to incorporate textile pieces into my own research and let the textiles be the protagonist.
Ikat coat from Uzbekistan, a recent addition from the Hélène van Spaendonck donation (Early 20th century) (TRC 2024.2171).By going through the boxes from Egypt in the depot, I am not only learning about Egyptian heritage, but also about how the collection is built up. In addition to the beautiful embroidered dresses, for example, from North Sinai and Siwa Oasis, there are colourful plastic slippers and underwear included in the collection. The width of the collection creates the possibility for new questions and research.
As a fervent exhibition visitor and participant as an artist in exhibitions, I was curious to get an insight into the other side of the cultural field. Well, I did in the last couple of weeks! Last month I was also able to learn about the realization of the collection. Which pieces are selected to be part of the collection and why? Which pieces would be a good addition to the collection? When I go back to Egypt, I can put these approaches into practice and collect some items that would be a great addition to the TRC collection.
An applique panel (khayamiya) from Egypt with Arabic calligraphy of Ayat Al-Kursi in square kufic calligraphy (2014) (TRC 2014.1064).Despite my initial focus on Egypt, I loved to work with numerous textiles during the first month of my internship. I photographed a large amount of the recently donated collection of Hélène van Spaendonck, which included many stunning pieces from, just to name a few countries, China, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan; areas I was not familiar with. It makes me extremely enthusiastic that I am able to hold textile pieces from all over the world. Every day, new pieces have to be taken care of, by photographing, describing, or archiving. In addition, I get introduced to multiple workshops on specific techniques, such as lace making or a study day on embroidery from the Middle East and North Africa.
In the coming period I am planning to write more blogs, because my head is filled with all the endless possibilities and accessible objects in the TRC. At the moment, I am working on the Arabic inscriptions of the khayamiya pieces, with the help of Arabic-speaking friends who have knowledge about various calligraphy types. What is the translation of the pieces, why are they depicted in a certain way and is there a relation between the pieces?
All in all, I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity to completely delve into the world of textiles in the coming months surrounded by all kinds of textile enthusiasts.
Christina de Korte, intern at the TRC, 2 November 2024
