• Mhairi weaves textile works with Gulf fibres and natural dyes
• She works in collaboration with Bahrain's craft communities
• Her pieces aim to revive fading local weaving traditions

Mhairi Boyle grew up in Bahrain before studying textiles in the UK and weaving in Scotland. Missing home, she returned in 2019 and began working with weavers in Bani Jamra. "I slowly built their trust until a younger weaver agreed to experiment with me," Mhairi says. That initial partnership grew into a wider practice of researching Gulf fibres, extracting natural dyes and blending crafts such as nseej weaving with materials like palm leaves and wool sourced from Saudi Arabia. Mhairi now works across the region, collaborating directly with craftspeople to trial techniques before any finished piece takes shape. Her practice remains slow and experimental, valuing the relationships and shared knowledge built along the process as much as the resulting textiles.