Stitch Their Names

Reflect & experience the transformative power of visual art, as memory is threaded through the

Stitch Their Names Project.

Stitch Their Names

Our project is a profound tribute to the innumerable lives wiped out in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, honouring each individual through the act of stitching their names into fabric. In a world that reduces profound loss to mere statistics, we affirm the humanity and individuality of every person whose life has been taken. By threading each name with deliberate care, we create a communal space for grief, remembrance, mourning, and bearing witness, affording each victim the dignity of time and reflection.

This project confronts the brutal reality in Gaza—where entire families have been erased, and entire generations wiped out. Each name we stitch ensures that their stories do not fade into the anonymity of mass graves or the silence of destroyed homes.

Rooted in the rich heritage of Tatreez, the traditional Palestinian art of embroidery practiced by women for generations, we draw upon this lineage—where personal histories, narratives of the land, and expressions of resilience are meticulously stitched into fabric. Stitch by stitch, Palestinian women have woven their struggles, hopes, and memories, crafting an enduring testament to their identity and resistance. Tatreez has long served as a means of documentation and defiance amid times of pain and upheaval. In every stitch, there is meaning; through this shared act, we honour tradition and unite grief with resistance. Each thread becomes a lifeline, connecting us to the past and anchoring our protest in the present.

As women, united in purpose, we embrace this deeply personal and meditative craft, continuing the work of our foremothers. Through this project, stitching becomes an act of solidarity, a powerful memorial for those who were killed, and a call to the world to bear witness. Each stitch is a protest, a plea, and a vow that these lives, violently taken, will not be forgotten. Through this tradition, we honour both the victims and the enduring resilience of the Palestinian people. Each name is remembered, uniting their past and present in an act of love, memory, and resistance.

We use the colours of the Palestinian flag to honour those killed in Gaza—red for women, black for men, and green for children—thereby weaving national identity into our memorial. Through this collective art, we transform the pain of violent loss into a tapestry of resilience. The colours reveal the tragedy unfolding before us, transforming this craft into a weapon of truth.

Stitched art, often marginalized in militaristic, patriarchal societies, is reclaimed here as a powerful tool of expression and resistance. This international sewing circle transforms the craft into a means of shaping collective identity and stands as a protest against the states enabling this genocide and a world that, by watching in silence, is equally culpable. Through this art, we aim to catalyse meaningful political action. We come together as a community of people determined to document this atrocity. Our aim is to encourage people to stop and listen, to acknowledge the loss of humanity, and to feel their feelings of deep sadness and bewilderment at the normalising of these atrocities.