The Red Hand of Ulster (detail) | Catherine Harper, 2025 | Photo Martin Melaugh © Conflict Textiles
THE SILENT VOCAL LANGUAGE OF TEXTILES
A powerful exhibition exploring memory, conflict and peace through textile art.
18th September – 5th October
Presented to mark the International Day of Peace and generously supported by Mason Hayes & Curran LLP, The Silent Vocal Language of Textiles brings together Conflict Textiles and D Contemporary in an exhibition that explores the extraordinary ability of textiles to communicate where words fail.
Featuring works from the internationally recognised Conflict Textiles Collection, the exhibition reveals how cloth, thread and stitch become powerful testimonies of conflict, resilience and hope. Created by artists and communities affected by political violence across the world, these textiles transcend language and borders, offering deeply human perspectives on memory, loss, displacement and survival.
Founded in 2008 by curator Roberta Bacic, Conflict Textiles grew from The Art of Survival: International and Irish Quilts in Derry/Londonderry. Inspired by the Chilean arpilleras—hand sewn textiles made by women during Chile's military dictatorship to document lives silenced by oppression—the collection has become an internationally respected material body and online archive of textile testimonies from communities affected by conflict. The live archive is housed by Ulster University through CAIN Archive - Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland occupies a significant place within the collection. Through quilting, embroidery and appliqué, textile artists have documented the legacy of The Troubles, preserving personal experiences of loss, imprisonment, separation and resilience while creating space for dialogue and reflection.
Today, the language of the arpillera has spread across Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, addressing themes including human rights, migration, environmental justice and peacebuilding.
Over the past eighteen years, Conflict Textiles has developed into an internationally recognised resource for exhibitions, education and community engagement, demonstrating how creativity can preserve memory, foster empathy and contribute to reconciliation.
The Silent Vocal Language of Textiles reflects the paradox at the heart of the exhibition: textiles are silent objects, yet they possess an unmistakable voice. Through careful craftsmanship and personal testimony, these works become living archives of remembrance, inviting visitors to pause, reflect and consider the enduring human impact of conflict.
At a time when violence and displacement continue to shape lives across the globe, the exhibition offers a timely reminder that art can challenge silence, preserve memory and inspire dialogue. Together, these remarkable works affirm that even the quietest materials can speak with extraordinary clarity about our shared humanity and our collective responsibility to imagine more peaceful futures.
Exhibition: The Silent Vocal Language of Textiles
Artists Exhibited:
THE STORY BEHIND CONFLICT TEXTILES
Conflict Textiles is an internationally recognised collection of textile art exploring conflict, human rights, memory and resistance through the voices and experiences of communities around the world.
The collection began with The Art of Survival: International and Irish Quilts, an exhibition held across nine venues in Derry~Londonderry in 2008.
Developed through a collaboration between Derry City Council Heritage and Museum Services, The Junction, and guest curator Roberta Bacic, the exhibition brought together Irish quilts, international textiles and Chilean arpilleras — three-dimensional textiles created by women in Latin America as a form of testimony during periods of political violence and social upheaval.
Explaining the origins of this initiative, Roberta Bacic reflects:
“During 2006 and 2007 Quaker House Belfast asked me to facilitate a series of meetings with women from different backgrounds to discuss issues related to dealing with the past that had affected their lives. To open the discussions, which some participants found difficult, we decided to show a Peruvian arpillera made by displaced women, from both sides of the conflict, who designed and made the arpillera together and used as their testimony to the Truth Commission. Out of this grew the idea of contacting quilt makers in Ireland and Northern Ireland to see how they had represented the conflict in their work. At the time Helen Quigley, then Mayor of Derry, attended one of the presentations of the Peruvian arpillera and asked me to bring a display of quilts, arpilleras and wall-hangings to Derry in the context of International Women’s Day 2008. From that initial idea the Art of Survival exhibition was developed.”
The exhibition grew from conversations facilitated by Roberta Bacic with women from different backgrounds in Northern Ireland about dealing with the legacy of conflict. The powerful storytelling of a Peruvian arpillera, created by displaced women as a collective testimony, inspired further exploration of how textile makers had represented experiences of conflict, loss and survival.
Following the success of The Art of Survival, a lasting collaboration developed between Derry City Council’s Tower Museum, Ulster University and Roberta Bacic, leading to further exhibitions, workshops and community engagement projects. Selected works from the collection were displayed at the Tower Museum and the Guildhall between 2015 and 2016.
As the collection and activities expanded, a digital archive was created as early as 2008 to document the textiles, exhibitions and associated activities. The Conflict Textiles live website was launched in 2015, providing global access to this growing archive of textile testimonies.
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With the generous support of:
Curated by: Irene Pouliassi (D Contemporary) and Roberta Bacic
Location: D Contemporary, 1 Birdcage Walk, London SW1H 9JJ, United Kingdom
Dates: 18 September – 5 October 2026
Opening: Tuesday 22nd September 2026 | RSVP ONLY
Presented by: D Contemporary in collaboration with Conflict Textiles
Supported by: Mason Hayes & Curran LLP
Media Enquiries:
Irene Pouliassi
0044 (0) 7505472586
