20.07.22. Internet.

Majeda Clarke is a weaver, whose work is concerned with identity and a sense of place. She combines traditional techniques from some very different parts of the world – such as Bangladesh and North Wales – with an aesthetic that has been influenced by Josef and Anni Albers.

She came to textiles relatively late in life (having previously been in education) but has gone on to win a number of awards, as well as exhibiting at the Aram Gallery, Mint and Fortnum & Mason in London. She has also collaborated with the likes of The Rothschild Foundation and The Citizens of the World Choir.

In this episode we talk about: her passion for collecting; why she makes scarves in Bangladesh and blankets in Wales; growing up on a tea plantation; being locked in a cell when she arrived in the UK at the age of five; producing art in lockdown; how the Black Lives Matter movement has shifted her thinking; the pressure of representing; her fascination with regional skills; and encouraging mistakes.

(Image: Michael Hoffman)

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Find out more about Majeda Clarke

This is a sample from Clarke’s Explorer collection, which was inspired by a variety of female explorers. 

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The Hernandez blanket was inspired by Adela Breton, who travelled across Mexico recording the architecture and culture of Mayan ruins. (Image: Yeshen Venema)

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This scarf is part of the Suddenly collection, made from cotton muslin, and created by Jamdani weavers in Bangladesh

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The Jamdani weavers work was dubbed ‘woven air’ by Roman courtier, Petronius. 

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