Tapestry / fiber art has been displayed, treasured and produced for many centuries. The art form has been used in many countries and cultures to showcase skill, record history and teach religious lessons or beliefs as well as used for practical reasons such as warmth. We see this art form used throughout Europe, Africa, native cultres in America and Asia. Thailand is known for their silk weaving into tapestries, clothing and wall hangings. The art form dates back centuries with some silk fibers dated 3000 years old. The beauty of this Thai art form is the complete community and cultural involvement that it encompasses. While there are some known weavers, generally this art form is most commonly found in small villages where people have been weaving and creating their own clothing, blankets, wall hangings for centuries.
It all begins with a worm. A silk worm actually and thousands of them. The silk worms are fed and grown until they begin wrapping themselves in their silk cocoons. They are then harvested for these cocoons following which they will be washed and the threads unwoven from the cocoon. This is now raw silk. The raw silk needs to be dyed, washed, dried and spun into skeins in preparation for weaving. A quality fabric, weaving or tapestry cannot be achieved without first a knowledgable sericulturist (silk farmer) and dyer. Just a single women's sarong requires the cocoons of approximatley 2500 silk worms.
Thai silk artistry was not always a respected or desired craft. While the skills and practice has been used for centuries in Thailand it wasn't until the 1950's when an American named Jim Thompson created and founded the Thai Silk Company in Bangkok that the silk industry in Thailand created an international name and recognition. In partnership with Queen Sirikit, the skill and talent of the village sericulturists and weavers was shown on an international level, creating a demand for Thai silks.
The Queen's wardrobe is on display in the Queen Sirikit Textile Museum in Bangkok, Thailand featuring the skill and artistry of Thai silk farmers and weavers as well as designers.
Today, Thai silks are still in demand and recognized for their beauty and color throughout the world. Several modern artists are using Thai silks in various manners to bring to light religious and political views. Jakkai Siributr is a Thai fiber artist using his talent to help refugees from Myranmar (formerly Burma) just north of Thailand. The above display is one of his works after learning of the refugees and their plight in refugee camps. They are woven flags from imagined countries where the refugees could be safe. Siributr's fiber installation showcases his use of woven fabrics as well as his own talent of detailed embroidery with the theme of Buddism and political concerns of modern Thailand. His installation can be seen here: Siributr exhibition
Artist Ploenchan Vinyarartn is also a contemporary textile artist in Bangkok. She works with hilltribe weavers to create her pieces such at the 16 meter River of Kings displayed in the Louis Vuitton Boutique.
Her peice below, The Sea Ghost and Beyond, is a textile display showcasing her talent for space and material as well as light and shadow.
What I admire about the textile art of Thailand is the incorporation of the entire culture and community into a finished art. The farmers are recognized for their knowledge and contribution to the creation of silk, the weavers for their skill and craftmanship as well as the designer in the overall creation. No one is elevated as higher or of more importance than the other and each recognized as instrumental in the final product. Culture, skill, knowledge, natural elements and history all are woven together be it a skirt, wall tapestry or art installation. Having traveled to Thailand and seen the village women under a thatch roof creating stunning sarongs full of vibrant colors and patterns, it truly is valuable cultural art form to behold and a true honor to be able to wear or display.
I've always admired this type of art. It's amazing to know that it dates back 3000 years. Seeing how people make a product without the help of technology makes me want to learn the process. Great job on your blog!
The Harlem Renaissance occured in the years between World War I and the Great Depression and the onset of World War II and was a pioneering period for black artistic culture, identity and expression during a time of severe segregation and inequality. With a large occurrance of the discrimination happening in the South, thousands of African-Americans moved North and settled in Harlem, NY, which became the hotbed of artistic expression, forming the Harlem Renaissance. Artistic expression is a luxury. Time is required for investment into a painting, sculpture, musical composition...and time is a luxury not afforded to many, especially those prevented from certain locations, jobs, accomodations, salaries, and educational opportunities. While segregation, oppression and discrimination were still very much a reality, the community formation of black people in Harlem offered the opportunity for support, education, cultural pride and more financial freedom wi...
The 1700s brought a scientific revolution through people such as Galileo Galilei, Blaise Pascal, Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler. New ideas, thoughts, and discoveries were reinventing how the world was seen. Observations and discoveries were being made in human anatomy and pathology as well and many of these discoveries being documented in art. Without the ability to visually document discoveries, artists were often retained to work alongside a scientist to document discoveries. While maybe not considered "traditional" art, the artistic drawings and engraved plates used to print in anatomical books are still works of art. The minute details required to document bones, muscles, tissues and tendons, as well as the addition of artistic liberties in posing the subjects in action or movement, shows the incredible talent of these artists. Muscle Figure, Seen from the Front, 1780, Antonio Cattani. Etching and engraving on f...
I've always admired this type of art. It's amazing to know that it dates back 3000 years. Seeing how people make a product without the help of technology makes me want to learn the process. Great job on your blog!
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