Textiles

Caps From The Tellem Caves and The utility of The Museum.

These are images of caps found in the Tellem caves in Mali. They are some of the best-preserved textiles from west Africa and among the oldest yet found. They are part of a collection of finely woven and plaited objects dating from 11th- 15th centuries. For those who study African textile history, they are incredibly important as they are some of the oldest surviving  West African examples of spun cotton, strip woven cloth, indigo dyeing, and certain patterning techniques still practiced in west Africa today.

Woven Cloth at The Janson Holland Shop

Pictured here is a textile produced in India for the Ghanaian cloth market. It is a black and white cloth that appears to use a combination of a type of compound weave and floating warps. The patterns are taken from kente, a fine handwoven cloth originating in central and southern Ghana. It is woven in a way that imitates the structure of true kente, which is comprised of several narrow strips of cloth sewn together at the selvage. Kente is a treasured symbol of wealth and status among the Akan (the family of ethnicities to which the Asante belong) and the Ewe people.

The day we met

First day of our course.

travels, stories, memories, belongings, research.

so many parts of the world in the room, meanings and cultural belonging, in textiles and their histories, textures and colors, paterns and representations.

We'll work together for one week, discovering each other and thinking together. Cloth, fabric, textile. Weaving our work with attachments, intentions and future endeavours.

 

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