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This year marks the 25th anniversary of Timor-Leste's vote for independence and the start of the Australian-led UN peace-keeping mission known as InterFET that would be deployed to the country in the wake of widespread destruction and violence by the departing military following the referendum's outcome.
Tais, Culture & Resilience: Woven stories from Timor-Leste
Exhibition opening hours
Professor Sir Joseph Burke Gallery
24 September to 10 December 2024
Tuesdays & Thursdays: 10am–4pm
Level 1, Gateway Building, Trinity College (Enter via Tin Alley)
100 Royal Parade
Parkville 3052
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Timor-Leste's vote for independence and the start of the Australian-led UN peace-keeping mission known as InterFET that would be deployed to the country in the wake of widespread destruction and violence by the departing military following the referendum's outcome.
In 2003, within a year of Timor-Leste gaining formal independence, a women’s art cooperative called LO’UD was founded by female resistance fighters. The following year, LO'UD would partner with the Australian volunteer organisation East Timor Women Australia (ETWA), which also this year celebrates their 20 years of cooperation with LO'UD.
Drawing upon traditional weaving rich in stories, and photography taken on the ground in Timor-Leste over the past fifty years, Tais, Culture & Resilience: Woven Stories of Timor-Leste shares an important part of the story of Timor-Leste's struggles and their drive to maintain culture in the face of adversity.
LO’UD weavers from the country’s far-eastern municipality of Lautem still work to preserve culture and alleviate poverty by marketing naturally dyed, hand-woven textiles known as tais. Through the use of specific designs and patterns, tais are an expression of Timor-Leste’s diverse cultural identity and this important tradition has endured despite successive occupations.
Trinity College is excited to partner with ETWA to bring together rich stories, in Tais, Culture & Resilience: Woven Stories of Timor-Leste.