Beginning Fall 2023, CUNY embarked on a three-year Anti-Hate Initiative, focusing 2023-24 on Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Jewish communities, and continuing in future cycles to address Black, Hispanic, Islamic, and LGBTQ populations. As one of a small group of faculty involved in the initiative, Nazanin Hedayat Munroe created a large-scale textile installation entitled “Screened Off.” Inspired by the elements of Japanese Shoji screens, the work is made of silk organza and handwritten dyed rice paper, block-printed with silhouettes of figures, and screen-printed with words from quotes by immigrant writers. See process and completed artwork below. View Video Walkthrough
Installation: Nazanin Hedayat Munroe. “Screened Off” 2024. Block-printed silk organza and hand-painted, screen-printed habotai silk with rice paper notes. © 2024 Nazanin Hedayat Munroe Visit Nazanin’s web site to see more of her textile installations and garments. Kimonos: Shibori-dyed cotton garments by advanced textile students (BUF 3246).
Nazanin Hedayat Munroe, “Screened Off” 2024. Digital mock-up of each external panel. Finished panels 7′ h x 8′ w .© 2024 Nazanin Hedayat Munroe.
Phase 1: Rice Paper Notes with Immigrant Author Quotes The work highlights the immigrant experience in America through quotes expressing the mixed emotions expressed by writers of the first generation and immigrant experience: hope, fear, isolation, homesickness and optimism (among many other feelings) all linger in the mind and memory of those who leave their homeland for a new life. Students were given the option to choose quotes that resonated with them.
Nazanin Hedayat Munroe, “Screened off” maquette, 2024. Hand block-printed silk organza with handwritten rice paper. © 2024 Nazanin Hedayat Munroe
PHASE 2: Block Printing Students in BUF 3246 (Advanced Textile Techniques) block-printing the silhouettes onto silk. Each student was responsible for carving a block with a silhouette and printing in the Textile Lab. Photos © 2024 Nazanin Hedayat Munroe
PHASE 3: Screen Printing Students were instructed on how to creatd screens for the word sections on the top and bottom panel borders. Key words from the immigrant quotes were traced onto screens and filled in with drawing fluid and left to dry, then screen filler was added and left to dry. Lastly, the drawing fluid is washed out to create the print stencil. Students printed with inks onto habotai silk hand painted by Dr. Munroe. The final work was assembled and sewn by Dr. Munroe.
