OUR ATELIER
Photo Couesy of the Musk & Amber Gallery, taken at the atelier during the making of Louis Bahélémy’s
‘Hannoun in the Land of Thirst’ Tapestry, 2024
Born from a passion for the crafts of Tunisia in 2014, the Tilli Tanit atelier gathers skilled embroiderers to work on a diverse range of embroidered pieces from clothing, house objects, to embroidered mural tapestries.. Together, the team works on experimenting with classic and newer techniques, materials and continuing a long history of expertise passed on from one generation to another in the town of Mahdia, famous for this craft in the country.
In reality, the team is larger than those you will find in the physical workshop. It expands to involve family, friends, neighbors and Artisans from the country. The reason for that lies in the objective that drives the atelier which can be summed up in three words: community, collaboration and solidarity.
After completing his higher studies in Textile Design, Nejib Bel Hadj thinks of ways to preserve the knowledge and craftsmanship of the women he grew up surrounded by- mainly manual embroidery- a craft field that becomes precarious in the surge of machines and ever-growing extractive tendencies and a market driven economy. The solution was pretty obvious: to create a space to design, experiment and embroider and for the skilled members of this atelier to feel stable and supported
Over the years, the atelier has collaborated with local and international artists, brands and creatives to develop their ideas by bringing in the knowledge of technique and possibilities, which means leaving room for uncertainty, trial and learning. This is one of the crucial aspects of the work, to not be bound by what we know but to leave room for curiosity and an awareness of the world and environment we live in.
Our goal with our work is to translate the shifts happening all around through the medium of thread and embroidery. While doing so, it is important for us to tell stories from our surrounding environment, about life in our corner of the world in Tunisia and the connections it built outside of it. We keep in mind that our field, that of textile broadly, has become one of the most polluting industries in the world. One of the ways to keep the process sustainable is sourcing materials from local scrap fabrics, working with trusted thread connoisseurs and customizing second hand pieces. With part of our proceeds going to local initiatives working to support the communities that surround us, it creates a full circle.
A circle can also be a sun. Illuminating the shores of our city. Bright, warm and hopeful.
Our embroidered pieces available for purchase.
WITH LOVE
FROM THE WOMEN EMBROIDERERS
AT L’ATELIER TILLI TANIT
MAHDIA, TUNISIA
EST. 2014
You can write us at: friend@tillitanit.com
visit our IG: @tillitanit
or reach out on Whatsapp on +216 53 52 53 53
