Power, Place & Craft: A Conversation with Meena Kadri + Homelore Exhibition

Join us for an evening that weaves together storytelling, craft, and social innovation as we bring together two exciting initiatives in one space. This special event features a talk by our Social Innovator in Residence Spring 2025, Meena Kadri, alongside the soft opening of Homelore, a women-led collective exploring diasporic experiences through traditional craft techniques.

Meena Kadri, with a background in anthropology and design, has worked at the intersection of innovation, collaboration, and social change. Her experience spans global human-centered design consultancy IDEO, community-driven projects in India, and grassroots initiatives worldwide. Her talk will highlight the role of culture and creativity in fostering community resilience, touching on themes of power dynamics in public spaces, savings circles in India, and community gardens.

At the same time, we celebrate the first exhibition of Homelore, a project led by Riddhi Varma, a recent graduate in Masters’ in Management and current DESIS Lab Fellow. Homelore is a women-led collective exploring evolving neocultures shaped by diasporic experiences through traditional craft techniques.
Their practice centers on collaboration, bringing together female artisans from diverse diasporic backgrounds, creating works that weave together personal narratives, shared histories, and the vibrant textures of life in a globalized world.

The exhibition probes the alchemy of emergent cultures birthed from the migratory rhythms of diasporas converging in Lisbon, with embroidery as its silent interlocutor. Through the warp and weft of traditional techniques, Homelore craft tapestries that map the territories of where the diaspora now dwells based on the ancestral echoes of where they began. These stitched cartographies become artifacts of cultural flux, fragile yet enduring monuments to the ceaseless metamorphosis of identity.

Agenda:

• Introduction: Anne-Laure Fayard, Holder of the ERA Chair in Social Innovation, will introduce Meena Kadri and Homelore.
• Talk by Meena Kadri on “Collective Culture: Insights on Inclusion”: Insights into her journey from slums to boardrooms, and the intersection of design, culture, and social change
• Words from Riddhi Varma: A short introduction to the Homelore exhibition.
• Informal Gathering & Exhibition Viewing: Stay for a drink, connect with Meena, Riddhi and the artists from Homelore (project website here)and explore the artwork.

Date & Time: April 10, 2025
Location: Live Content (Edifício 78, Santos, R. da Cintura do Porto de Lisboa 6 Armazém i, 1200-109 Lisboa)

A special thank you to Domingos Guimarães, a very enthusiastic DESIS Lab partner, for generously offering his space for this big celebration!

Come for the inspiration, stay for the connections!