thank all who contributed to this issue. thank you...
TRANSCRIPT
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TTS Newsletter
Vol. VI – Issue No. II
FALL 2018
THE ROYAL TREASURE OF JAVANESE BATIK
By Ruth Gerson
On Monday, October 29th 2018 the royal batik
collection of King Chulalongkorn that has never
been seen before, was opened officially at the
Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles by H.R.H.
Princess Sirindhorn with dignitaries attending
this very special occasion, and honored by the
presence of the Ratu (queen) of the Sultan of Paku
Alaman, Central Java, from where many of these
great pieces had come. A contingent of women,
members of the Indonesian Textile Society
arrived as well to participate at the opening
ceremony. This formal event was followed by the
opening of the exhibition to the public two days
later, on November 1st.
Members and friends of the Thai Textile Society
were fortunate to be early visitors to this
excellent exhibition. The batiks on display are in
very good condition, astonishing considering that
these were kept for many years in an unforgiving
tropical climate. According to one of the curators,
the outside pieces protected those that were
folded inside.
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
THE ROYAL TREASURE 1 -5
OF JAVANESE BATIK
Ruth Gerson
DESIGNATED KOREAN NATIONAL 6 - 8 LIVING TREASURE: INDIGO DYER CHOI OKJA John Toomey CURATOR’S WALK AND TALK 9 - 14 (April 2018): THE TILLEKE AND GIBBINS TEXTILE COLLECTION Anne Fulgham THE DESIGNS AND SYMBOLS 14 - 17 IN KHMER SAMPOT WEAVING Earl Kessler & Ruth Gerson TEXTILES OF THE AINU 17 - 20 INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF JAPAN John Toomey BANGKOK BIENNALE TEXTILE ART 21 - 22 Ruth Gerson JOURNEY OF NATURAL COLOURS 23 - 26 ON TEXTILE IN AJARAKHPUR, GUJARAT, INDIA Suwanya Saksombat
TEXTILE SCULPTURE 27 - 28 AT THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART IN BOSTON Ruth Gerson
The Thai Textile Society would like to
thank all who contributed to this issue.
Thank you very much
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King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) was well-prepared
by his father King Mongkut (Rama IV) for his
kingship, the position that he attained while still
in his teens. King Mongkut introduced reforms to
Siam and it is well known that King
Chulalongkorn carried these on, and on a much
larger scale. While his father was the first king to
travel in Siam, King Chulalongkorn was the first
monarch to travel abroad in time of peace,
starting his voyage in nearby countries, including
Indonesia. During his first trip to Java in 1871, the
King was introduced to the art of batik, which
seems to have captivated him. He visited
workshops, kept notes of his visits, took pictures,
one of them seeing the King practicing his hand in
doing batik. This is also when he purchased the
first lot of batik cloths.
Two visits followed at later dates, in 1896 and in
1901 when additional batiks were bought and
taken to Siam, creating a collection of 307 pieces.
Of these surviving batiks, some are rare, with
designs and motifs that have been long
discontinued. The King meticulously kept
information of the batiks that he had purchased
describing their place of origin, price, and the
name of the design. Some of these tags are on
display along with the batik cloths, batik design
stamps made of copper, photographs and good
information in multi-media form.
Batik designs on wall of activities room
Visitors enjoy dressing in Javanese garments
There is an activity room on the ground floor that
gives information about the various weaving
centers on the island of Java, a room that is lively
decorated. Visitors can put on period Javanese
garments and step back in time for a few
moments. Members of the TTS tour were
fortunate to meet a master batik maker from Java
who had come for the official opening and stayed
a few days longer. Some participants were brave
enough to try their hands in batik making, and
found out that it is a rather difficult task, but
nonetheless enjoyable.
The entire exhibition is beautifully and artistically
mounted, the walls covered with photographs
that reproduce batik designs pleasing to the eye,
creating a warm atmosphere. The planned
duration for this exhibition is two years, with two
rotations to take place several months apart, to
enable to display some of the other fine batik
pieces that could not be included in the present
exhibit. The Thai Textile Society plans to see these
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Vol. VI – Issue No. II
FALL 2018
hidden batiks when they will come on display. A
comprehensive catalog of the batik exhibition, of
about 350 pages, will be available in a few weeks.
Batik artist from Java
TTS members try their hand in batik making
Part of the group commemorating the visit
ABOUT US
The Thai Textile Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and appreciation of textiles, with particular emphasis on the textiles of Thailand and Southeast Asia. Based in Bangkok, the Thai Textile Society was founded in 2004. when Kathleen Florence Johnson, wife of U.S.Ambassador to Thailand Darryl Johnson, invited scholars, collectors, and other textile enthusiasts to establish a society dedicated to the study, appreciation, and preservation of the textile arts in the kingdom and the region. Under the leadership of President Dr. Sathirakorn Pongpanich, the Society continues to host regular educational programs designed to promote appreciation of Asia’s rich textile heritage. The Steering Committee organizes regular lectures, trips, and other programs such as its popular Collector’s Corner series The TTS enjoys and appreciates support from the Siam Society and the James H.W.Thompson Foundation.
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Batik cloths from the exhibition,
courtesy of the Queen Sirikit Museum of
Textiles
Sarung in Bang Biru Style Lasem, Coastal Central
Java Hand-drawn wax resist, vat-dyed on plain-
weave cotton a red-blue (bang biru) style batik
showing the influence of Indian trade cloth in the
treatment of the flowers as well as the color
scheme. The tigers, however, are an auspicious
Chinese motif.
Sarung Lasem, Coastal Central Java Hand-drawn
wax resist, vat-dyed on plain-weave cotton. The
layout and coloring of the kepala (vertical panel)
and the drawing of the phoenix indicate a
workshop in Lasem. Inspiration for the “tree”
winding upwards from an earthen mound is to be
found in the “Tree of Life” motif on Indian trade
cloths, while the phoenix comes from China
Sarung Mrs. A. J. F. Jans (b. Netherlands Indies, c.
1850–after 1920) Pekalongan, Coastal Central
Java Hand-drawn wax resist, vat-dyed on plain-
weave cotton Signed “J. Jans.” Floral batik from
Pekalongan like this example is often referred to
as “boketan” (from “bouquet”).
Kain Panjang with Kawung Pattern Workshop of
W. F. van Lawick van Pabst Yogyakarta, Central
Java Hand-drawn wax resist, vat-dyed on plain-
weave cotton At the Yogyakarta court, only high-
ranking officials could wear the Kawung pattern.
But when separated by another pattern, as seen
here, it was no longer restricted to court wear.
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Kain Panjang with Sirikit Pattern Yogyakarta
Hand-drawn wax resist, vat-dyed on plain-weave
cotton gift of Dr. Ir. Larasati S. Suleiman and the
Sekar Jagad Batik Association. A striking batik
pattern from Yogyakarta inspired by the beauty of
Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and named in her
honor. It was created in commemoration of Their
Majesties’ state visit to Indonesia in February
1960. This example was presented to the QSMT
by Dr. Ir. Larasati S. Suleiman on behalf of the
Sekar Jaged Batik Association of Yogyakarta.
Notes: This Batik is the only one in the exhibition
which is not a part of His Majesty King
Chulalongkorn's collection
Ikat Kepala (Head Cloth) with Gabah Sinawur
Pattern Workshop of W. F. van Lawick van Pabst
Yogyakarta, Central Java Stitch resist, hand-
drawn wax resist, vat-dyed on plain-weave cotton
The centerfield of this man’s headcloth suggests a
lake and the surrounding field shows scattered
rice grains (Gabah Sinawur), a symbol of
abundance.
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FALL 2018
DESIGNATED KOREAN NATIONAL LIVING TREASURE: INDIGO DYER CHOI OKJA
Text and Photos by John Toomey
Mrs. Choi holding her light-toned indigo hemp bed
cover
Recognized by the Korean Government with the title of ‘Korean National Living Treasure of Indigo Dyeing’, Mrs. Choi OkJa (Choi pronounced Che) is licensed in medicinal use of herbs and in making dyes from herbs. She has exhibited her indigo and saffron-dyed hemp weaving in seven countries in Asia, the United States and Europe. As well, she has written and published books and articles on this subject, including her research work that can be found in Korean academic journals. The French International Arts organization Chateau du Clos Lucé (the last residence of Leonardo da Vinci) awarded her the Plume Rouge (red-plumed pen) in recognition of her efforts in promoting the use of fermented dyes. She also received a similar award from the European Institute for traditional fermentation dyeing.
Mrs. Choi is the only authentic indigo crafts artist in Korea and grows, harvests and ferments her own indigo, saffron and other herbs into gorgeous dyes. She grows her own hemp, strips it, processes and dyes it using the herbs indigo and saffron to make the seven traditional Korean colors (as of the rainbow) red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and indigo; she
weaves it, doing all steps of the process by herself. Mrs. Choi also cultivates her own silk worms and occasionally weaves silk as well as cotton. She wears her own-made indigo cotton garments, as in hot weather Koreans tend to wear hemp, linen and cotton to keep cool. This spectacular lady runs a spectacular workshop.
Mrs. Choi plants her own indigo
Contrasting hues of saffron and indigo when blended
to make new colors
Mrs. Choi also travels to many foreign countries
to teach Korean children born and raised
overseas about all aspects of Korean culture. Such
children would otherwise not have much
opportunity to learn their Korean culture or
speak Korean. She also practices Korean,
Japanese and Chinese tea ceremonies and is fluent
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in Japanese (the language in which we conversed
when I met her, with some Korean or English
words interspersed when needed).
In preparation for the indigo process, Mrs. Choi
soaks wood ash in cold water for one month to
make a Lye with the right PH factor for each dye
to best bring out the colors. She recycles the ash
from the lye making by drying it in the sun and
using it in the tea ceremony to bank the charcoal
fire under the tea kettles. In the case of saffron
dyeing she soaks ripe plums in water with sugar
for two to three months to extract plum vinegar
which is essential to obtaining red color. She uses
blackened plum for the mordant to set the red
color. The making of blackened plum is a trade
secret known to only a few.
Mrs. Choi obtains hemp from her own field, but
buys threads of silk and cotton locally, and
weaves the various materials herself. She collects
materials for dyeing linen from her own mountain
fields of indigo that she plants and tends alone,
using water from her own natural spring to water
the plants and to mix with the indigo in the vat. By
herself, she accomplishes everything from
growing, gathering, spinning the threads (thin for
warp, thick for weft), weaving and dyeing. She
sells only online.
In 2003 Mrs. Choi exhibited one month at the
Korean Gallery of the Korean Cultural Center in
New York. In 2006 Germany’s Dusseldorf Gallery
showed her works as examples of fabrics with
traditional naturally fermented dyes. In 2007 she
showed her work in London at the Artspace
Gallery and the Metropolitan Pavilion Gallery. In
2009 her special exhibition at Washington D.C.’s
Smithsonian Museum was well received, and the
Smithsonian gave her an award for her work in
naturally fermented dyes. In 2009 she exhibited
at China’s Chenghwa University. 2010 saw her
works of naturally fermented dyeing in Australia
at the Heart Gallery in Brisbane. In 2011 she
exhibited her works of naturally fermented indigo
at the Kyushu National Museum in Japan. In 2012
she presented her work in the Beijing ASEA Hemp
Symposium. In 2017 her exhibition of
“Traditional Dyeing with Natural Colors” was held
at France’s Lycée Corot and also at Paris’ Galerie
New Image. In the same year her exhibition
"Korean Traditional Naturally Fermented
Dyeing” at the Castle of Clos Lucé was an
important part of the "Korean Culture Festival
Live" in Normandy, France
Indigo in a vat with a stick for wringing out dyed
threads
ABOUT INDIGO Deep indigo blue is a traditional color made from dye that has been made using time-honored techniques passed down from generation to generation. In Japan dedicated craftsmen create the raw material called sukumo for the dye from the fermented leaves of the indigo plant. The leaves are cut up to release the enzymes that will start the fermentation process and release the color, as is done also with green tea leaves which are bruised to start fermentation. The master dyers use no chemicals to get deep texture indigo colors. Usually we think of indigo as low-lying plants with their leaves close to the earth; but cultivating the very best seeds is also important to make the best plants spring upward, sometimes as much as 60 cm tall in Japan; but Mrs. Choi’s plants grow over one meter!
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Mrs. Choi does not use sukumo for her dye, but rather she soaks the leaves in water to make a tint. In her book Natural Dyeing Created on Tradition she writes, “Indigo is a perennial dyeing plant with blue tints in the leaves, classified as polygonaceae. As a medicinal herb, it dissolves poisons in the blood, cools down overheated blood and removes dotted spots, however, being the most difficult and sophisticated procedure of its extraction, this dye is hard to handle unless it is done by professional craftsmen. The reason proper dyeing culture is maintained by artisans is because the natural color of indigo dyeing is possible only by using the vat dyeing method.” (Natural Dyeing, p 11) This method requires the mature fermentation of the indigo; and indigo matures into the so-called “superb indigo” only in indigo vats. The temperature must be kept constant to keep the room warm, even when it gets cold. Traditional wooden lids cover the vats to allow a bit of circulation of air in the vats.The indigo seeds saved from the previous year are planted in March. Because their diameter is less than 1 mm, they are interspersed in well-fertilized soil. After being watered well for 20 days, green sprouts poke up and are fertilized again when they reach10cm in height. After they grow to 20 cm, Mrs. Choi transplants the seedlings to the field, which has already been well fertilized and plowed over, placing them in furrows with 30 cm of open space in length and width between the seedlings. Before this transplanting the furrows must be covered with plastic bags to maintain the proper, constant temperature and to prevent weeds from growing. Indigo plants are insect-proof, so there is no need for pesticides, never mind the holes in the leaves that grasshoppers make.
Mrs. Choi harvests the dew-drenched leaves in the early mornings of late July or early August and ices them up to six hours so that the color can be removed. The leaves should be harvested when the plants have grown to more than 1 meter tall and before their flowers bloom, because the colors are negatively affected if the leaves get hard or aged. It is alright to use scythes or
machines. The leaves used to make indigo tint in the previous year are saved to use for fertilizer in the following year.
Indigo paper decorations hang
from the workshop ceiling
Layered appliqué
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CURATOR’S WALK AND TALK (April 2018):
THE TILLEKE AND GIBBINS TEXTILE
COLLECTION
By Anne Fulgham
Tilleke & Gibbins International Ltd. hardly needs an introduction: it is Thailand’s oldest law firm, founded in 1890 by William Alfred Goone Tilleke, a young Singhalese barrister, who had arrived in Siam from his native Ceylon. In 1906 Englishman Ralph Gibbins joined giving the firm its name.
One hundred and twenty-eight years later, Tilleke & Gibbins is thriving. Instrumental to its growth were Albert and Freda Lyman, who acquired it in 1951. Their son, David, joined the firm in 1967 and became managing partner after his father’s death in 1984. He expanded its core areas of practice and, in less than 25 years, made it Thailand’s largest independent law firm. David Lyman officially retired in 2012 but remains Tilleke & Gibbins Chairman and Chief Values Officer.
That Tilleke & Gibbins houses a museum-quality collection of Southeast Asian textiles is less known. In 1987, when the firm moved to new premises on Soi Ton Son behind the American Embassy, David Lyman opted to decorate the offices’ walls with local handwoven fabrics. The Tilleke & Gibbins Textile Collection (the “Collection”) – his brainchild - was officially established a few years later. Its mission is to (i) preserve mainland Southeast Asia’s textile heritage, (ii) decorate and enrich the environment of the offices of Tilleke & Gibbins, and (iii) facilitate a wider appreciation of textile arts as part of cultural heritage.
On the 24th April 2018, 16 members and friends of the Thai Textile Society met on the 26th floor of the Supalai Grand Tower on Rama 3 Road –Tilleke & Gibbins’ new location since 2008 - for a morning feast of fiber art.
Khun Wipawee Tiyawes, the Collection’s full-time curator, welcomed us in the imposing meeting
room overlooking the Chao Phraya, where tea, coffee, cakes and snacks were served. The Collection, she told us, is composed of almost two thousand textiles – 1,945 to be precise – originating mostly from mainland Southeast Asia and produced by various ethnic groups in Thailand and neighboring countries. It comprises a variety of everyday wear clothes; household items, such as blankets, door curtains, mattress covers, and mosquito net decorative borders; ceremonial clothes worn during various rites of passages; and textiles having a religious function such as funeral banners and temple hangings.
On a 6-month rotational basis, more than a hundred items are displayed on the seven floors of the law firm’s offices whereas the larger part of the Collection is kept in storage.
A Time for Display
On that day, Khun Wipawee had planned to show
us textiles displayed on four of the seven floors.
We began our slow walk upward in the law firm’s
corridors-cum-galleries on the 20th floor, which
was dedicated to Tai Lue’s textiles.
Who are the Tai Lue? They are one of the many
ethnic subgroups belonging to the Tai branch of
the Tai-Kadai ethno-linguistic family. They
originated from the province of Yunnan, China,
and migrated over the centuries to present-day
Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The first item we looked at was a Tai Lue skirt – a
type of clothing the Collection possesses a wide
selection of. The main feature of a traditional Tai
skirt is a tubular shape divided into 3 parts: the
waistband or head to secure the cloth, the
midsection or body, and the border or foot.
The cloth, as all other pieces exhibited, was
pinned on a support board covered with black
cotton - a fabric that is considered safe for textile,
that is, one that will not degrade or react
adversely with the artifact. (To provide
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cushioning, a thin sheet of polyethylene foam is
attached beforehand to the board and then
covered with black cotton fabric.)
The next Tai skirt was a handspun one with a
combination of purple, pink, green, and peach
bird and elephant motifs covering half of the
midsection. Beneath it, the weaver had added a
band of horses (Photo 1) .
Tai Lue skirt Photo 1
Followed a pastel color skirt with 2 small rectangles stitched on the black border - a royal blue and a red – possibly indicating that the garment had belonged to an unmarried woman. (Photo 2).
Tai Lue skirt Photo 2
Photo 3 shows a non-traditional piece from Northern Laos with an animal theme, about 30 years old, which could have been woven for the tourist trade. We noticed, among others, a large snake, bears, elephants, horses, birds, and buffaloes. The fine connoisseurs among the group discerned a Maum, a mythical creature looking like a cross between a horse and a deer.
Tai Lue sîn (skirt) Photo 3
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On the next skirt, Khun Wipawee pointed out a typical feature of Tai Lue skirts from Muang Hun, in Oudomxai, in Northern Laos: the 3 bands of green, yellow, and green at the bottom of the midsection. (Photo 4).
Tai Lue sîn (skirt) Photo 4
More skirts were on display, which we looked at closely. Photo 5 shows a rare piece combining 3 weaving techniques (weft ikat and both continuous and discontinuous supplementary weft) and exhibiting an old traditional pattern named Chiang Saen. The skirt is made of cotton with some of the weft being silk. A large black band at the bottom is noticeable.
On one of the last skirts seen, Khun Wipawee drew our attention to a dark red band on which a flock of beige birds was woven (Photo 6). At this point, near the elevator landing, someone asked if the Collection was still expanding. It is not. Tilleke & Gibbins stopped buying textiles five years ago, she said.
Tai Lue sîn (skirt) Photo 5
We proceeded to the 22nd floor where several funeral skirts from Vietnam where on view (a fine example is seen in Photo 7). The main differences
Embroidered funeral tube skirt
Tai Thanh Vietnam Photot 7
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between skirts from Laos and Vietnam lies in how the garment is secured to the body and in its length: the former are tied at the waist and reach mid-calf whereas the latter have a special cotton belt to secure them above the breast and are ankle-length.
On this floor, we also encountered other every-day wear cloths such as shawls also used as baby carriers (Photo 8), men’s sash, and household items (blankets).
Woman shawl-baby carrierTai Phuan
Savannakh Laos Photo 8
More beautiful pieces were on view on the 24th floor. We ended with a series of Burmese skirts. On Photo 9, you see a particularly striking example that would have delighted the late Yves Saint Laurent, celebrated for his strong sense of color.
Woman's tube skirt Rakhine state Myanmar Photo 9
A Time for Storage
The vital space for the Collection is the cold and austere storage area on the 26th floor. Not only does it contain the larger part of the Collection but it also guarantees proper preservation of and easy access to its textiles. This area is in fact a climate-controlled storage and conservation room worthy of any world-class museum. For such a valuable collection environment matters: textiles are indeed extremely sensitive objects due to their organic nature and temperature, humidity, light, dust, insects, and other pollutants are all contributing factors that lead to decay in textiles.
What are world-class museum conditions of storage and conservation? For textiles, the best environment was devised at a temperature around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) and a relative humidity of plus or minus 55% - worldwide standards. Fabric deterioration often occurs when temperature and humidity are not kept near these levels. If it is too hot, the rate of chemical reactions accelerates and so does the rate of damages in fiber breakage, dyes, and other components of the textile. If it is too humid, the textile can be affected by mold or mildew, among other potential problems. Hence, the need for stable levels of temperature and humidity.
Light – natural and artificial – can also contribute to the degradation of textiles, and particularly color fading. Both the level of illumination and the duration of exposure are of critical importance. Textiles can be displayed behind UV-blocking protective Plexiglass. At Tilleke & Gibbins, Mylar plastic film (a registered trademark owned by Dupont Tejjin Films) is used to cover each light bulb to control the light spread, reflection, and intensity for proper lighting environment.
Textiles – especially those with metallic threads - are also susceptible to abrasion and physical damages caused by dust and other particles. And they need to be protected from pests (cloth moths, carpet beetle, cockroaches, etc.). The exposure to all these agents of deterioration is
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further reduced by rotating the Collection’s items on a 6-month basis – another museum standard.
Textiles are best stored in acid-free tissue paper placed in drawers in enclosed cabinets adapted to their dimensions and types (Photos 10 and 11).
Textiles rolled in acid free paper Photo 10
Storage cabinets Photo 11
Hands should be kept away from the artifacts and white cotton gloves worn whenever handling is necessary (Photo 12).
Curator Khun Wipawee wears white gloves to handle
textiles Photo 12
In order to get rid of pests, freezing is a safe and effective method. When removed from display, textile artifacts are folded in plastic bags (Photo 13), which are sealed to prevent air circulation, and placed in a freezer unit at a temperature of minus 21 degrees Celsius for one week. They are then taken out and left at room temperature for another week to trick the recalcitrant insects out as some pest species are resistant to the initial treatment. On the third week, they are returned to the freezer to eradicate the last bugs. When this 3-week process is completed, the textiles are vacuumed over a protective nylon screen to remove all insect debris before they are stored. After these explanations, Khun Wipawee spoke about the superb items spread on the table (Photo 12), which were mattress covers.
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Textiles are placed in Ziploc bags Photo 13
Although the Tilleke & Gibbins collection is essentially perceived as a corporate collection – which epitomizes the harmonious cohabitation of the Law with Art – it is first and foremost a national treasure conserved in Thailand. Thanks to its existence, traditions of the past are preserved and celebrated while honoring the weaving skills of many South East Asian women.
For more information or to arrange a visit to the Tilleke & Gibbins Textile Collection, please contact: Khun Wipawee Tiyawes, Textile Curator: [email protected]
THE DESIGNS AND SYMBOLS IN KHMER SAMPOT WEAVING
By Earl Kessler and Ruth Gerson
We were fortunate to live in Bangkok. Being interested in textiles and ornaments we frequented Chatuchak weekend market on a regular basis. During our eight years in Thailand (1988 -1993 & 2003-2006) we saw waves of artisan products wash through the market. One short-lived wave was the heirloom Khmer sampot (hip wrapper) that families were selling, trying to rebuild their lives after the demise of Pol Pot, whose Khmer Rouge army devastated Cambodia during the civil war stripping it from its existing culture. These truly amazing weavings were one of the few resources available to them and they caught my eye. I assembled a small but interesting-to-me collection. It turns out that the design types collected seemed to fall into two groups, one abstract pattern and the other figurative images, that intrigue me and are the cause of this article, although I later found out that these are just one group common to Cambodian textiles.
Figurative designs on silk sampot Photo 1
This newsletter is distributed free to TTS
members and subscribers, and it is
accessible free to all website visitors in the
hopes of encouraging interest and
scholarship in textiles and is the sole
property of TTS. Personal opinions
expressed in this newsletter are strictly
those of the authors and are not necessarily
endorsed by the Thai Textile Society.
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Figurative designs on silk sampot Photo 2
Understanding the images has opened up a series
of questions about the Khmer weavings especially
from this older era. The questions relate to the silk
production, the dyes used and the designs and
symbols created.
It is known from the 1296 AD records of Zhou
Daguan, Chinese ambassador of Temur Khan’s
court, that silk was woven in ancient Cambodia.
Furthermore, the abundance of silk sampot
indicate that these were widely used by the local
women, it was said even when working in fields.
The reason behind this was that silk was easier to
grow there than cotton. Silk weaving was always
a home industry, with the women in the family
weaving for their own needs. It is only in recent
decades that weaving became a specialized craft,
producing goods for sale. In the past all or most of
the silk was cultivated locally, but after the long
civil war during which many of the weaving
artisan were targeted and often killed, as well as
the mulberry trees on which the silk worms grow
and the trees on which the lac producing insects
live, were purposely destroyed during that era.
Some of the mulberry trees survived enabling a
modest re-start of the Cambodian silk industry,
whereas all lac trees were gone, and lac was
imported from Thailand. Today Cambodia
produces a mere 10% of what it uses, with the
balance imported from China, Vietnam and
Thailand.
Silk sampot with Tree of Life motif Photo 1
Silk sampot with Tree of Life motif Photo 2
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The dyes too are intriguing. These were made of
local materials for years, until the introduction of
chemical dyes that invaded all weaving markets.
Traditional colors are yellow, red and black, made
of natural dyestuff. Red is made from the resinous
secretion of lac insects, yellow and green from
dried prohout tree bark, black from the bark of the
ebony tree, and blue from indigo. In the past,
people made locally the dyes for the silk and other
cloths, collected from the environment around
them. Everything connected with weaving was
produced locally, including the looms.
In the past, designs on the weave indicated who
the piece was made for according to the person’s
position in society, age, gender or whether these
were produced for a certain celebration or
religious rite. Court weavings, in a category of
their own, had special designs based on the Indian
Patola, and silk quality much finer than the
weaving done by ordinary folks. In Cambodia,
unlike neighboring Thailand that has groups and
villages with their own distinct weaving, the
patterns and designs are believed to be standard
and similar in the various locations in which they
are produced. However, this subject has not been
yet thoroughly explored, but some scholars
believe that the figurative images of aquatic life
were possibly woven by the Cham, a Muslim
minority who live by the Tonle Sap (lake) in
Cambodia. These include crabs, birds, nagas,
butterflies and flowers. The images were most
likely derived from awareness of the
environment around the weavers.
Nagas creating a lattice work around
an 8-pointed flower Photo 1
Geometric design Photo 2
Non-figurative abstract designs are in fact geometric, in some cases as seen here, the nagas (mythical serpents), are arranged in a lattice work around an eight point flower. In other cases,
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the diamond composition frames the bei-sri, a flower arrangement offered to temples and used on auspicious occasions. The technique most commonly used on Cambodian silk sampot is ikat, known in Cambodia as hol, a resist dyeing that produces fine designs and is time consuming. As to the pieces of my collection, they are standard mainstream Khmer textiles produced for well-off Cambodians. However, much research work is needed on Cambodian textiles to answer the many questions for we still do not have any answers.
TEXTILES OF THE AINU INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF JAPAN
By John Toomey
Ainu in ceremonial garb,
photo: screen shot from NHK
The Ainu, referred to in the historical Japanese texts as the Ezo, are an indigenous people of Japan who lived in Hokkaido and formerly in northeastern Honshu as well as Russia’s Sakhalin and Kurile Islands, and the Kamchatka Peninsula. The current official Japanese tally of the Ainu is approximately 25,000, but probably many more descendants of the Ainu have been completely assimilated into Japanese society and today have no knowledge of their origins from the Ainu. This
happened because of the Japanese pressure for all to conform to one ideal standard. The Ainu Bikki Sunazawa created the Ainu flag in 1973 to represent the Ainu nation in Northern Japan, much as the Native Americans are recognized as Nations within the Republic of the United States. This was a step in the Ainu’s reclamation of their identity as a cultural group in the 1960s and 1970s. Eventually, in 1997, the Ainu were recognized as an indigenous and minority people and given rights to their language and culture.
The typical traditional Ainu costume is the attus coat woven from the spun fibers from the inner bark of the elm tree, called attusi or attush, thus giving the tree’s name to the robe. The Attus is a simple short robe hanging down below the knees with straight sleeves extending to the wrist or forearm. The women also wear a Japanese cloth undergarment and men wear loincloths.
19th century Attusi jackets at Tokyo National Museum;
Photo: John Toomey
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19th century Attusi jackets at
Tokyo National Museum; Photo: John Toomey
To make the best fibers from a Hokkaido Japanese elm, the bark is removed from the cut tree and the inner bark fibers are softened in water and then left in the sun to bleach. After splitting the fibers into fine strands, they are spun into a thread which is woven into stiff, thick, naturally brownish cloth to be sewn into an attus.
Women’s jackets decorated on front and back,
Photo: screen shot from NHK
Daily wear is rather plain. It is the ceremonial attire that is highly decorated on both front and back and around the sleeves with patterns in navy and black applique’. A unique pattern, shaped like a bent archer’s bow, is repeatedly embroidered on the applique’. The purpose of this pattern is to keep away evil spirits, and is found also on indigo cotton garments, sometimes with white applique’. Ainu patterns are made up of various geometric shapes. The “moreu” (swirl pattern) and the “aiushi” (spiny pattern) are among the popular ones. Unique patterns are created from mixtures of these basic patterns and the patterns also differ by region.
Archer’s design as seen on the woman’s robe;
Photo: TNM
Archer’s design as seen on the woman’s robe; Ainu men are skilled in wood carving but only women make applique’ and embroidery, handing down these skills from mother to daughter, from generation to generation. The attus jacket not only clothes their families but its unique motif also guards them all from evil. The Ainu craftswomen of this day can get quite high prices for their skills.
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In winter animal skins supplement the attus, with leggings of deerskin; and, in Sakhalin Island, boots are made from the skin of dogs or salmon. (See this author’s article about the Amuse Museum of the People for photos of salmon skin boots in the TTS Newsletter Vol. III, no. 2, p 6.). Matanpushi embroidered headbands top off the women’s apparel and nowadays the maidari aprons make the women’s clothes formal. This tradition of aprons denoting formality is shared with the people of northern Honshu whose aprons the reader can see in the same TTS issue cited above.
Woman in traditional Ainu garments; Photo: TNM
Tattooed woman; Photo: screen shot NHK
At about age 15 to16 men have their hair properly dressed for the first time. Women also become adults at the same age. When women reach age 12–13, the lips, hands and arms are tattooed. At 15–16, women’s tattoos are completed, showing the weaving patterns they had mastered; and, the more they have, the more desirable they are for marriage. Old worn-out fabrics are used for baby clothes. The soft cloth is thought to be good for their skin; and evil spirits abhor dirty things like worn-out, soiled baby nappies; so they stay away from the babies.
In lieu of professional priests, the village chief performs the necessary religious rites, usually consisting of pouring libations, praying and offering willow sticks with wooden shavings attached to them. The Ainu believe in “sending back” (called Iyomante in the case of sacred black bears who are worshipped) the immortal spirits of killed animals to the land of the gods; and these willow sticks are placed on an altar for that purpose. The Ainu pray their thanks before
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our members and readership.
For information please contact: Ruth Gerson –
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eating. Salmon was also important to Ainu spirituality and they offered salmon to the gods. In many parts of the world, indigenous people practice "arctolatry" or bear worship, as do the Ainu. The bear is a very special gift of hides and food for humans from the gods and they celebrate this in the bear dance festival. The Ainu word for bear is “kamuy”, meaning “god”.
Domesticating a pet bear; Photo:
screen shot NHK
The term Omante is the sacrifice of an adult bear, and Iomante (literally “sending off” is the sacrifice of a caught bear cub, who is treated as a child given by the gods and is fed human food from a carved wooden platter and better treated than their own children because of being a god. If the cub is too young to have teeth to properly chew food, it suckled from a nursing human mother’s breast. The cub is kept as a spoiled pet; but when he becomes 2 to 3 years old, he is sacrificed at the altar in midwinter when his meat is fat and tastiest. The villagers circle around the cub and shoot it with ceremonial arrows, make offerings, dancing, and pouring libations on top of the cub’s corpse, while reciting the prayer for “sending off” the bear god. Nowadays, the Ainu who have assimilated into mainstream Japanese society have adopted. Shinto and Buddhism and some northern Ainu are Russian Orthodox.
Hokiado Ainu in robe woven by his wife:
Photo: TNM
Ainu elder at an Ainu culturae cente:
Photo: TNM
The practice of wearing earrings was a tradition for Ainu men and women, but the Government of Meiji Japan (end of the 19th century) forbade Ainu men to wear earrings. Both the Ainu and the peoples of Siberia adorn themselves with bear claw amulets to invoke the protection of the bear god. Dr. Willa Tanabe, visiting professor to Sophia University in Tokyo, pointed out to this author that there is a bear god iconography both in old Russia and among the current Ainu which depicts the bear holding a man in his mouth to protect him, not to harm him.
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BANGKOK BIENNALE TEXTILE ART
By Ruth Gerson
Muslimah Collective Life Frame of Daya Dollah,
2018 by Nureeya Waji, sewing, dye on material 150 x 120 cm
Thailand is for the first time participating in the
renowned international Biennale of
contemporary art exhibitions. Biennale which
means every other year, had started long ago in
Venice, Italy in 1895 to be precise. In addition to
contemporary art, the Biennale also focuses on
architecture, dance, theater and cinema. Over the
years many countries around the world have
participated in this well-established enormous
event, and this year Thailand has finally joined
their ranks.
In Thailand the exhibition is showcased at various
locations, in and out of the capital, and with
exhibits scattered over Bangkok’s well attended
venues such as up-market shopping malls,
galleries, outdoor spaces, and at the Bangkok Art
and Culture Center (BACC). Here on the 7th floor
one can find a small but interesting display of
modern Thai textile art. There are six pieces in all,
five of them representing two Muslim artists from
southern Thailand, Arichama Pakapet and
Nureeya Waji who named their exhibits
Muslimah Collective, using a variety of fibers. The
sixth is a two-sided door-like exhibit made up of
weaving swatches representing the major
weaving centers in Thailand.
Bangkok Biennale opened on October 19th 2018
and will run until February 3rd 2019.
Muslimah Collective Life Frame of Manu Waji,
2018 by Nureeya Waji, sewing, dye on material 190 x 120 cm
Muslimah Collection Life Frame of Abdullah Siwan,
2018 by Nureeya Waji, sewing, dye on material 150 x 120 cm
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Muslimah Collective Faith...Life, 2017 by Arichama Pakapet, mixed media,
textile; natural material 180 x 120 cm
Muslimah Collective Faith.Love, 2017
by Arichama Pakapet,textile; mixed media,natural material 300x200 cm
Front, Wall and doorway
created from textile gathered from around Thailand
Back, Wall and doorway
created from textile gathered from around Thailand
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JOURNEY OF NATURAL COLOURS ON TEXTILE
IN AJARAKHPUR, GUJARAT, INDIA
By Suwanya Saksombat
India is a place that offers a wide variety of styles,
from classical to tribal art. This is where I learned
to create natural colours from items in the
environment that I used for my painting. I
returned to Thailand to my house on the bank of
a river, where I painted. On completing a painting
I went out to wash the oil stained brushes in the
river. As I did I could see the oil stains spreading
rapidly over the water. The river is symbolic of
life for many people who had settled around it,
and I could see that something was not right. I
noticed that even the skin on my hands and
fingers was peeling off. I then came to a
conclusion that my skin was also sensitive and the
chemical paints affected them. This incident
really connected me with nature as I could now
empathize with the river.
I sought inspiration from Indian culture, and by
coincidence, while I was in Santiniketan (West
Bengal) in the easternmost part of the country, I
was introduced to the concept of Ashram
education. The open air classrooms and strong
emphasis on the closeness to nature was
practiced by students who were taught under the
trees that lacked the four cornered walls of
conventional systems of education. I was very
excited to visit the place and was able to
experience firsthand what I had read and thought
to be very unique. I then began extensive research
on natural pigments, and along the way I also
discovered that colours were not limited to the
canvas, and so textile techniques from ancient
India were added to my thesis.
I started to research the traditional Indian
painting techniques done on a variety of media
from walls, leaves to fabrics. I travelled to a
handful of places to explore their stories and
found quite a few techniques such as in miniature
paintings, Jad Patua paintings, Madhubani
paintings, Warli, Kalamkari and Ajrakh and many
others. These techniques originated from
different geographical locations with a style and
language distinct to their people. The Kalamkari
for instance, was practiced in most of the
southern parts of the country (Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka) as it was a culture known to the
original inhabitants of ancient India (who were
Dravidians) since three-millennia. The subject on
these paintings were mostly adapted from the
Hindu epics (Mahabharata and Ramayana). These
techniques are so popular today that they are
incorporated by mass producers of Saree
materials.
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Woodblock for stamping design on cloth
The process of woodblock stamping
Ajarakhpur textile technique, in the western state
of Gujarat, was one of the techniques in India that
attracted me the most, probably because of its
history. The technique is said to have been
practiced since 3000 years, by people believed to
have descended from the Indus Valley civilization.
During my visit to Gujarat I happened to meet the
local practitioners of the Ajrakh printing. At first
they were reluctant to disclose their technique,
but some social interaction, despite the linguistic
differences, did help break the ice. I am grateful to
those local inhabitants who shared with me their
authentic tips, and a few attempts of practicing it
did help me gain confidence in the process.
Man carving a design for printing onto a woodblock
Man carving a design
for printing onto a woodblock
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The process that I learned is as follows:
First, bleach the fabric with a mixture of camel
dung, soda ash, castor oil and water. Dip the cloth
it in and then wring it and let it dry for 1 day.
Repeat the process 7-8 times. This prepares the
surface of the cloth to accept the dyeing colours.
Dyeing the fabric in myrobalan (purple plum)
paste is the second step; dry the cloth without
washing it. Heat from the sunlight will help the
cloth to become darker in colour.
A: - Stamping and dyeing the cloth step by step
B: - Adding indigo dye
The next step is printing with the wooden block
to create a pattern on the cloth. In this step a
preparation of iron paste and jaggery (coarse can
sugar) is made, fermented for up to 21 days
before being ready to use. I smeared gently the
above mentioned paste (also known as kasim ink)
onto the wooden block pattern, and then stamped
it on the fabric to transfer the colour in the
required pattern. This patterned cloth was finally
dipped in the myrobalan paste. The kasim ink on
the fabric reacts with the paste and turns it black
in colour.
To create the pattern in white colour, the above
mentioned step is done but here the kasim ink is
replaced by a paste prepared from a mixture of
limestone and Gum Arabic and water.
Dyeing the fabric in madder root powder solution,
made from the Rubia tinctorum plant, is the third
step. The wooden block is smeared with a unique
paste made of a composite of red clay, tamarind
seed powder and alum. The pattern is then
stamped on the fabric. There is no prominent
change in the colour just yet. The cloth is dried for
3-4 days, and once it is dry, the cloth is put in an
indigo tank. The space on the cloth where nothing
was applied, will change to blue. Wash and dry the
cloth.
Next, madder root powder is mixed with water
and boiled for 10-15 minutes. The fabric is then
dipped in the boiled madder solution and left in
for about an hour. The cloth is then removed and
washed with water and hung in the sun to dry.
The Thai Textile Society website can be
accessed at:
www.thaitextilesociety.org
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Cloth is washed in a tank
Drying cloth in the sun
Dyeing the entire cloth in a solution of indigo is a
step needed to achieve the desired blue shade in
the areas on the cloth that were undisturbed by
the woodblock printing (to create a background).
The intensity of the colour depends on the
number of the times the cloth has been
submerged in the indigo solution.
Lastly, and most importantly, the fixing of the
colours onto the fabric is done by dipping the
cloth in a solution of alum that is boiled for up to
10-15 minutes.
This ancient technique has inspired me to
experiment and blend new techniques with it.
Colours are a fascination to me as they have
psychological influence. Washes of pale, tranquil
earthy colours bring my emotions to the surface
and flow onto the canvas and the fabric on which I work. In conclusion, this is an eco-friendly and totally natural process. Understanding technology and industry could be changed from those producing paints that have toxic residues to be replaced by extreme modern techniques that offer next to no toxic wastes, nor cause environmental or physical harm. These techniques, ironically, were handed down from the distant past and are worth being restored as heritage for posterity.
About the author: Suwanya Saksombat, a Thai artist, studied for her Master’s Degree in Painting at Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal.
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TEXTILE SCULPTURE AT THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART IN
BOSTON By Ruth Gerson
Clothing collage
Kevin Beasley is a young New York based American contemporary artist whose work is on the cutting edge. His focus is on sculpture created from various materials that he finds and which he regards as throwaways, often taken from his personal belongings especially clothing, which he puts on to get the desired effect before proceeding with his work, giving these unique sculptures his own physical quality. With the use of resin and polyurethane foam, the artist glues the materials together and manipulates them into the wanted form of the sculpture. As he shapes his creations into artwork, Beasley gives them new meanings connected to American culture.
The artist’s experimental work appears as satellite dishes or ghostly forms that are propped on the floor, suspended from the ceiling or hung on the wall. These emphasize the absence of bodies and just the clothing that covered them through color, pattern and texture. Beasley integrates sound into some of his works. For example the ghostly figures emit sound picked up by receptors in a different part of the museum, created by museum visitors, while the disc shaped satellites emulate the sound mirrors that the British used to pick up aircraft sounds during the war. These are covered by t-shirts, caps, dresses and other various items of clothing.
Satellite dishes that emulate military sound mirrors
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The sculptures shown here are from this year’s exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston that is dedicated to art of the present and is housed in a dramatic glass fronted structure overhanging the Boston harbor. Beasley’s work has been displayed in numerous prestigious museums such as The Whitney Museum of American Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Modern Art, NY (MOMA) and more. According to an art critic, “Beasley’s sculptures are novel hybrids of assemblage and process art.”
Ghostly Forms
Free Style