Sijelo (pronounced sielo) is the name Myfanwy and BCCM have given to the collective designs created for the MAC commission.  The designs are based on the geometric shape of the hexagon, which in turn makes a connection between the name of the theatre at MAC and the geometric form widely used in Islamic and Bosnian traditional crafts such as carpet weaving, crochet, embroidery and wood carving. The translation of ‘Sijelo’ is a word used to describe a social gathering where a craft based activity usually takes place.  Many of the group members can remember getting together in each other’s houses to weave carpets or crochet tablecloths. The British equivalent would be a knitting ‘Bee’ an old term, which describes a group of people coming together to knit.  This name is in turn pleasingly appropriate with the hexagon shape, which appears often as a structural form in nature including the cells of a beehive honeycomb which makes efficient use of space and building materials.

The carpet will be the first Sijelo design with its pattern being echoed through the subsequent wall and floor designs. Myfanwy and the group have held regular get-togethers where they cut paper shapes and crocheted patterns that were scanned and transferred into the computer. The scans were then manipulated into an overall design or rather a series of designs where the merit of each was discussed and favourites listed. The paper-cuts and crochet used many influences for their shapes including the lily flower a Bosnian historic symbol. The carpet is being woven by Brinton’s a well-known family-owned British company with a carpet industry that dates back to 1783. The group has had tours of the Kidderminster factory to learn about the process of machine carpet weaving and will be visiting regularly to oversee the translation of the paper and computer based design into a tactile carpet.  Myfanwy and the group wait with immense excitement and anticipation of seeing the first sample of their carpet design.  The next stage will be to design a corresponding pattern for the wood paneling on the wall of the hexagon theatre.  One of the concepts for the MAC Sijelo design is for elements of the pattern to be reflected in different parts of the building.