An expert weaver from Afghanistan will lead a free workshop on the art of tapestry making on 1 July, as part of the New Beginnings Festival for Refugee Week.

Sayd Mahmod‘s intricately hand-woven tapestries have previously been displayed in galleries in Iran, while in Sydney, they have been the inspiration for community engagement projects. For over 27 years, Mahmod has refined his craft and tools, producing works in wool, cotton and silk that are collected by people from Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. Since arriving in Australia, Mahmod has focused on his passion for teaching his craft. He has led tapestry workshops at the Friendship Garden in Auburn, as part of The Tapestry Couch Collective.

Sayd will be running a special tapestry-making workshop on Saturday t July, from 11am—12pm.

You can also experience his art during the Singular/Plural exhibition, where a selection of tapestries will be displayed. The commonplace images depicted in these works — a cottage, a bouquet of roses, an eagle — bely the intimate, personal memories they represent. An eagle recalls the beautiful and vast mountains of the artist’s homeland, Afghanistan, while sweet roses conjure memories of Mahmod’s blooming garden in Kabul. In this, the tapestries remind us of the infinite number of small details that come together to form a picture of one’s life.