According to Ramses Wissa Wassef, the founder of this art centre, every human being was born an artist but their gifts can be brought out only if artistic activity is encouraged from early childhood by way of practising a craft.

He says: “The creative energy of an average person is sapped by a conformist system of education and the extension of industrial technology to every sphere of modern life.”

It was therefore Wassef’s mission in life to release the innate creativity of children who were unable to gain formal education. He accordingly established his art centre in the village of Harrania where he taught young children to weave with the consent of their parents.

Children were encouraged to weave whatever they liked and whatever inspired them from the events and environment around them. Strongly discouraged from copying, adults were also discouraged from interfering in their children’s work.

The results are impressive. There is a variety of imagination and artwork to be seen and although quite a few themes are repetitive in nature, it is their depiction that makes all the difference.

A tapestry depicting birds and sunflowers uses a combination of colours and innovative design that really makes it a lively piece of work full of energy.

There is also a lot of work on display by students in local schools around the UK and their work is commendable. A particular wall hanging with fish and other sea creatures uses shades of blue and green and silver. It makes for a creative way of illustrating and looking at sea life.

Other than weaving by wool, there are also examples of weaving with cotton threads that could be seen in the exhibition as well as examples of tapestries made using the batik printing technique.

You can find out about Egyptian fabrics from the very beginnings of history at the Petrie Museum just around the corner from the Brunei Gallery.

Shruti Ganapathy is the 24 Hour Museum Untold London Student Journalist covering heritage and diversity stories in the capital.