Between Threads and Conversations | Talks: Embroidery That Speaks

What unites us? Embroidery is not merely a decorative technique, but also a social phenomenon and a form of contemporary artistic expression, capable of conveying a strong conceptual and political message. “Between Stitches and Conversations” creates a space for encounter, where participants will have the opportunity to learn about and reflect on the various uses and interpretations of the practice of embroidery.

Nov. 14: Embroidered Voices. A conversation from the perspective of anthropology, social relations, and social movements with Jean-Yves Durand.

Nov. 21: Between Stitches and Conversations, with the Homelore collective. An event that blends traditional South Asian embroidery techniques with Portuguese symbolism and themes.

Dec. 12: Dressing the Collective, with fashion designer Alexandra Moura. She will present a fashion project that explores the use of traditional embroidery techniques from Castelo Branco.

About the speakers:

Riddhi Varma is an architect by training and the founder of Homelore, a Lisbon-based collective that works with migrant women and the embroidery traditions they brought with them, such as Bengali kantha and shisha mirrors from Gujarat and Sindh. She is interested in fabric as a functional object—something that is worn, carried, and mended in everyday life—and in what a single stitch carries with it when it crosses a border. Through Homelore, domestic embroidery has reached venues such as MUDE, the Design Museum, and the London Design Festival.

Jean-Yves Durand holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the Université de Provence and teaches Anthropology at the University of Minho, where he recently assumed the directorship of the Nogueira da Silva Museum, the Paço Gallery, and the Monção House Museum. He served as director of the Museu da Terra de Miranda in Miranda do Douro, curated exhibitions, and led research projects on the contemporary dynamics of craftsmanship. He is interested in the relationship between individual autonomy and state authority in areas such as public health and cultural policies. He is a member of the Networked Research Center in Anthropology and of the editorial board of the journal Ethnologie Française.

Alexandra Moura has been a fashion designer and professor since 2003 at the School of Applied Arts of the Polytechnic University of Castelo Branco, where she teaches Fashion and Textile Design. She served as creative director for Slow J’s Afro Fado and played a key role in shaping its visual universe—from the wardrobe to the music videos and concert stages. Her career has been recognized with the Globo de Ouro Award for Best Costume Designer (2018) and the IADE Career Award (2023). In 2025, she took over as creative director of PAULA, a brand of the Amorim Luxury group.