As part of the She Was There: British Bangladeshi Women in Anti-Racist Protest in the East End, 1970–1980 project, it’s truly powerful to see our co-created fabric transformed into a Saree — the very one @tasnimsiddiqaamin wore during her performance on Altab Ali Day. I’ve drawn great inspiration from all the women in the team and on site; as Julie said, we were always here, they just never asked.
Last Sunday, in the warm, womb-like chapel of the Tampon Goddess, surrounded by the Before the Blood community exhibition, we had the pleasure of hosting a delightful Crochet Tampon Workshop with participants from a wide range of migrant backgrounds.
Together, we spent wonderful hours crocheting our own “bloody” tampons, placing messages of hope for our younger selves before menarche inside them, and creating our own personal period guardians.
It felt especially meaningful given that some religious spaces still refuse entry to people during their periods, deeming them ‘unclean’. Our workshop transformed this small chapel into a trusting and creatively charged space, giving it newfound strength and power. It was truly heartening to see everyone proudly posing with their handmade tampons alongside the grand tampon sculpture.
A huge thank you to Elina, Nur, Elaha and Siqing for their moving and heartfelt sharing, as well as to @vagina_museum and @nisaba.org.uk for their contributions, which truly brought the exhibition to life. We’re also very grateful to @st.margarets.house for providing the venue.
May the Tampon Goddess bless everyone with a healthy and comfortable period! 🌿🩸💪🏻
As part of the Before the Blood exhibition, we're hosting a Crochet Tampon Workshop!
In this fun and creative session, we'll learn basic crochet techniques and craft our own unique crochet tampons. We'll also take a special moment to write words of hope for our younger selves, before menarche, and place them inside our creations.
These handmade tampons will become personal guardians, offerings blessings for menstrual health and well-being.
No experience necessary. Beginners welcome.
📍St Margaret's House
🗓️ Sunday, 15 March, 2pm-4pm
🎫 Tickets via the link in our bio. Free tickets available for low-income participants.
Back in the past year, in collaboration with @vagina_museum and @nisaba.org.uk , three other women and I from different migrant backgrounds and generations co-created the community exhibition Before the Blood: Community & Belonging from Menarche to Migration.
The exhibition brings together photographs of us with the objects we truly needed during our periods, alongside letters written to our younger selves before our menarche.
This March, this deeply layered and emotionally rich exhibition will continue at @st.margarets.house . I will also be hosting a workshop, and we warmly invite everyone in the community to join us.
Please stay tuned for more details, and do come along to be part of the conversation. We very much look forward to welcoming you.
📍 St Margaret’s House, 21 Old Ford Road, London E2 9PL
🗓️ 13–15 March
My piece Of Seabed and Woodland was exhibited as part of the Front of House exhibition at @1lowerclaptonroad , alongside works by other incredibly talented Front of House colleagues from the @natural_history_museum . A huge thank you to the curatorial team, @noornematt , @stefania.says and @hannahzbitnew , for making this exhibition possible.
This evolving installation brings together twigs, stone and yarn, woven into a suspended form that moves gently with the wind. Crocheted sea creatures hang below, recalling the geological memory of Britain’s landmass once submerged beneath the ocean. At ground level, crocheted fungi appear, echoing the autumn in which the work was made and the cycles of growth and decay that shape the woodland today.
As an artist and activist who continually learns from communities and feeds back into them, I have been deeply drawn to textiles since I began learning crochet at the end of 2023. Through this medium, I have organised a wide range of intersectional activities engaging with themes such as migration, queerness and feminism.
As a highly sensitive person who often experiences sensory, emotional and pressure overload in both work and political engagement, time spent with textiles has allowed me to soothe myself through the repetitive, cyclical gestures of creating. Much like the geological transformation in my installation—Of Seabed and Woodland—it invites me to attune to the slow flow of time and emotion, and to practise acts of care and resistance in everyday life.
📸: @ceejayphotog@manuel_komnenos
Check out these gorgeous snaps from @alwayshing ’s ‘Crochet a Cup of Tea’ workshop series for ‘Meet Me’.
In these sessions, participants learnt to crochet scarves that can be rolled up to resemble a cosy cup of tea or coffee; inspired by the hot drinks that bring comfort to our families and cultures.
We love the diversity of the activities brought to our wonderful ‘Meet Me’ program for older people every week; returning in 2026 from Tuesday 20 January.
Sharing some works that I hadn’t posted before as a recap on my create in 2025.
This year, my textile practice expanded far beyond crochet. With the support of artist friends, I took part in a range of projects, from months-long programmes to workshops lasting just a couple of hours. Each of these experiences became a form of training, helping me gradually move towards making independent work and learning to document my creative process. That in itself has been a huge encouragement for me.
Image 1 Created during Gestures of Care: The Politics of Radical Softness, led by Hafsah Hafeji and Maymana Arefin at iniva in collaboration with Grand Junction. Through shared dialogue, the workshop explored collective rest, intentional softness, and how gentle acts can become gestures of resistance and care. Using soft materials, we built structures to rest upon, sitting back-to-back to offer and receive support.
Images 2–4 Created during Made by Hands, led by Kim at the Showroom. Each piece responds directly to the exhibitions on view at the time. Image 2 responds to This is a Sign: Notes on Assembly by Mandy El-Sayegh. Image 3 responds to I Do Nine-Tailed Fox by Sojung Jun. Image 4 responds to Songs for the Storm to Come by Mikhail Karikis. This was my first time learning couching, and I experimented with embroidering a river.
Image 5 Created during Fungi & Us: Connections Across Space and Time, a workshop I led with Epping Forest. This piece uses weaving to explore mycelial networks as a metaphor for community building.
Image 6 Made just before Christmas. Using classic festive colour palettes to weave coasters, though for some reason they ended up looking a bit like my dad’s jumpers.
Finally, at Christmas, the crocheted Halloween pumpkin hat made it onto @marie.curie.the.cat 🎃🐱~~Absolutely adorable. Truly, impossibly cute~
Of course, Niles had already tried it on earlier as the first model 😌 And the fox from @manyu__z happily stepped in as model number two 🦊✨
Sending warm Christmas wishes to everyone! 🎄💛 🎁
Over the past two months, I have been running the Crochet A Cup of Tea workshop series as part of the Meet Me Programme at @thealbanyse8 and @entelechyarts , together with local older people in Lewisham.
On Tuesday, we crocheted scarves that can be rolled up to resemble a cosy cup of tea or coffee. These ideas were inspired by the hot drinks that bring comfort to our families and cultures. The sessions were usually accompanied by warm drinks and biscuits, with everyone crocheting while sharing their favourite winter beverages.
Participants also brought along their own projects, such as a crochet jumper for a granddaughter, a crochet hat for themselves, and an embroidered tea towel. The older people involved have an incredible wealth of wisdom and life experience, as well as deep knowledge of crochet. To be honest, I did not really need to teach them anything. What I truly enjoyed was chatting with them and listening to their family stories, especially their remarkable migration journeys. It is clear that many older people living in Lewisham come from diverse migrant backgrounds.
I worked alongside staff and volunteers to help create a warm and caring environment for the older people, bringing my creative ideas into the space and sharing them with everyone. Particularly during this cold and festive season, it felt important to ensure that everyone who stepped into the hall felt included, part of a community, and able to celebrate the end of the year together with their neighbours.
I was deeply moved and inspired by the care that the staff and volunteers show towards the community and its older members. This care is reflected in how well they know each person’s name and routines, how they greet people as they arrive, proactively offer tea and snacks, and look after everyone’s lunch. Beyond the workshops, I also volunteered for several weeks. Taking part in the morning briefings and end of day debriefs taught me a great deal, especially about reflecting on weekly activities, truly listening to the volunteers who are directly involved in care work, and adjusting the programme based on their insights.
#communityworkshop #community #communityart #crochet #thealba
The first time performing as a chick with the legendary @frank_chickens_ninja last night was sooooo good! I even felt a bit lost coming home tonight without going straight into more dance rehearsals, that is how much I loved it.
It is honestly impossible to describe how I felt on stage dancing ごちゃ混ぜ for the very first time. It has always been my favourite song from Frank Chickens since the first time I saw them live. Back then, I even made a wish with @cho.k.t and @runnn.x , dreaming that one day we might perform together. Every time I watched the show afterwards, I would cheer and clap with so much joy and sometimes wipe away tears when the letters changed from “LOVE” to “REVOLUTION”. Getting to dance the Can-Can with everyone before this year ends, every single second on stage was pure joy and pleasure for me.
A massive thank you to @runnn.x for the incredible makeup and styling, we truly looked like the old fox and little fox from The Legend of Sealed Book (天书奇谭) and I loved it.
And of course, the delicious Christmas cake from @wacafelondon deserves a mention too. The yuzu cheesecake was unforgettable. How can someone have skills that high and create something so unbelievably delicious?
Feeling grateful, happy and already missing it all. Thank you, @frank_chickens_ninja , I cannot wait for the next time.
📸: @manuel_komnenos@el_19137@runnn.x Jianing
Come and do the karaoke with @frank_chickens_ninja@cburgercctv at the Others in Stoke Newington this Friday 5th December 🎤💖🪩✨
8pm door opens 8:30pm show starts
£10/£5 cash at door
Excited to share that our Crochet a Cup of Tea workshop is back on 2 and 9 December, 10:30am–12:15pm, with the Meet Me programme at @thealbanyse8 and @entelechyarts
Winter is the perfect time to gather with a warm drink and a story to share. Together, we will crochet scarves that can be rolled up to resemble a cosy cup of tea or coffee, inspired by the unique hot drinks that bring comfort to our families and cultures.
This workshop is for people aged 65 and over. To join, please DM me for further details.
