More than 2,000 kilometres lie between Hauteville-la-Guichard, in the Manche department, and Palermo, in Sicily – a distance equivalent to around 1,047 hours’ walk at a moderate pace.
In the 11th century, the sons of Tancred of Hauteville travelled this distance to conquer an island inhabited by peoples of very diverse cultures, speaking different languages, and living together in that land of plenty that was Sicily, at the crossroads of all Mediterranean trade.
From Roger I, who seized this territory, to Roger II, his son, who was crowned King of Sicily, the Normans flourished there for over a century and fostered the development of a multicultural society, comprising Arabs, Greeks, Latins, Normans and many others.
From this material, we have woven a story; we have knotted its threads, embroidered it and interlaced its patterns. Using existing fabrics, we have created a new fabric, and the voices of some have been woven together with those of others; and so our voices have been woven together, and just as the silkworm feeds on the leaves of the white mulberry tree that grows in Sicily, we remembered that we had fed on stories told by voices that came before our own, and we unwound the thread.
COMPAGNIE Amavada
