House of Weaving Songs

dhaqan collective invites you to the oasis that is Trinity Community Gardens to enter The House of Weaving Songs.

The House of Weaving Songs is a domed steel structure based on an Aqal, a Somali nomadic home found in the arid landscapes of Somalia. Here you will be surrounded by a series of beautiful woven tapestries that when touched ignite the stories and musicality of Somali women’s weaving songs.

The sound installation is part of the Playable Cities programme happening across Bristol this July 2023.

dhaqan collective is a Somali Feminist art collective led by Ayan Cilmi and Fozia Ismail. Their practice seeks to find ways of building imaginative futures that support Somali people here and in East Africa to resist the threats over our cultural heritage.

Special thank you to the elders in our community, Somali Kitchen and Easton Community Centre and collaborators on the project Jack Stiling, Ibrahim Hirsi, Rowan Bishop, Jen L Roxburgh and Thimali Kodikari.