Communicating in Fabric and Stitch

The East Anglian Stitch Textile (E.A.S.T) group to which I belong is currently preparing for the last display of our WWI themed exhibition  Between the Lines which travels to the Landmark Arts Gallery, Teddington, later in the summer.  As part of the exhibition there will be workshops on the themes of "identity" and "communication".  We wanted to explore something relevant to the exhibition without necessarily being war related.

Once you start to explore the theme of identity you realise what a huge topic it is - where to start? Perhaps start with name or initials?  Or geographical location - town, county, country or part of the wider world - a European or a citizen of Earth?  To begin with it I didn't know where to begin until I thought about a subject that has inspired me for the last decade - that of foundling tokens.  

One of the aspects I find particularly interesting about the tokens is the fact that they can communicate through time - a heart left in the 18th century by a mother giving up a child is still understood as a message of love and hope in the 21st century.  It is a simple symbol with a complex history and connects with themes of friendship and faith as well as romantic love.  

My sample of work, of which there are only details shown here, is a combination of hearts that not only relate to my years of research and the stories discovered but using fabrics which have their own memories they contain hidden aspects of my own identity.  The heart at the top of this page is from a piece of fabric copied from a scrap in the Foundling Hospital archives.  Originally it was used for the exhibition Threads of Feeling, - an exhibition about the foundling textile tokens that ran at the London Foundling Museum in 2010/11.  The second heart shown includes a piece of my wedding dress fabric - just a small scrap left over not a piece cut from the dress itself.  One heart includes fabric given to me by a friend Angela from the USA (see below) as a gift, a friend made through the token exhibition.  Another piece (not shown) is left over from a banner I helped make with the Billericay Branch of the Essex Handicrafts Association so a reminder of other friendships.  Another a piece of tea-towel bought from my local supermarket, but used in a piece of work that told the story of Margaret Larney - the tragic and true story of a women I have researched in depth.  Every fabric holds a memory, sometimes several, and thereby becomes part of the story of my identity.

Although the work was originally planned as a sample for the E.A.S.T workshop, I am hoping to put it into an exhibition of work for the Chelmsford branch of the Embroiderer's Guild, later this year. With each use the work will add another layer of memories.

Egyptian Texts and Textiles

Think of Egypt and you tend to think of mummies, pyramids, hieroglyphs, etc, but the British Museum exhibition, Egypt: Faith After the Pharaohs, looked at the history and culture of the country from the time when the Pharaohs had lost their power to the Romans.  From belief in multiple gods many people were converted to the idea of one through the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  In the early centuries AD, people of different faiths generally lived side by side, tolerant of their diversity and often influenced by their differences.  

Because of the climate and geological conditions in Egypt, textiles survive in abundance, allowing them to be part of the evidence of life almost 2000 years ago.  Very early on in the exhibition there was a child's linen tunic dating from the 6-7th centuries AD.  

One of the most elaborate textile artefacts of the exhibition was a set of tomb curtains, again dating from the 6-7th century AD.  They were brightly coloured with a border of cartoon like cherubs holding swags and baskets of fruit between them.  With the curtains pulled together two angels held a plaque which was badly worn, but showed a cross in the centre.  The plainer areas were dotted with birds, flowers and fruit.  Apparently the curtains survival was due to their reuse as a burial shroud. 

The exhibition also included one of the oldest known embroidered Islamic cloths - the Marwan tiraz (inscribed textile).  This ceremonial cloth dates from 684-750AD (or 64-133AH).  

Another favourite piece from the exhibition were some fragments of tunic decorations, that included nilometers, ie instruments for measuring the height of the Nile water.  The fragment showed God holding a cornucopia and his companion Euthenia holding a veil filled with fruit.  One cupid figure holds a bird while another engraves the figures IZ (17) and IH (18) indicating the ideal height of the Nile (too much meant flood, too little drought).   

Although not textile related, I also found the section on the Cairo Genizah collection interesting. This is a collection of hundreds of thousands of literary texts abandoned in Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo.  It gives a remarkable insight into the social and economic life of medieval people living in Egypt and includes personal letters alongside literary works. Two Scottish scholars (twins Agnes Lewis and Margaret Gibson) brought back some of the fragments to their friend, Solomon Schechter in 1896.  He recognised their importance and brought back 193,000 manuscripts back to Cambridge -scholars are still studying them today.

The exhibition had begun with three texts (one Jewish, one Christian and one Islamic).  It ended with three tunics, each different but with decoration that does not allow them to be identified as from any particular culture - similarities and diversity, altogether.

I visited this exhibition in its last days.  I had not expected there to be so many textile items on display and as they come from a range of museums (British Museum, Victoria and Albert and the Louvre), I was lucky to see them altogether.  My timing also meant that the exhibition shop was selling items at very discounted prices - the image at the top of this post is that of an embroidered bag, made in modern Egypt.  The British Museum's next major exhibition on Sicily (opens April) also promises some textiles so it looks as if I will have to go back there again in the spring.

The Power of Flowers

The Fashion and Textile Museum are currently displaying 140 years of Liberty fashion and fabrics. A company that was started by Arthur Lasenby Liberty began when he was asked to look after the Oriental Department of the Farmer and Rogers Great Cloak and Shawl Emporium in Regent Street. He became friends with members of the Aesthetic movement and this allowed him to establish his own shop across the street.  

In his early years Japan had just opened trade links with the West and Japanese inspired clothing was the height of fashion.  This section of the Liberty in Fashion exhibition at the museum included some of my favourite items, particularly this embroidered outfit.  Behind is a piece of the the painted design.

The Aesthetic movement itself must have been a revelation when women were able to wear clothing that allowed them not only to move more freely but display their taste in the arts.  Liberty's was also a promoter of traditional skills and the exhibition displays several smocked outfits, alongside a display of traditional crochet.  

The twentieth century is well represented moving from the traditional floral prints of the 1920s and 30s to the bolder Art Nouveau revival style of the 1950s.  In the 1960 to 1970s designers used Liberty prints in modern trend-setting styles.  

Any student of fashion will, I think, enjoy this exhibition as much for the clothing details as the prints themselves, and the museum are more than happy for you to take flash-free photography.  

A small section of designs by Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell, design consultants for Liberty in the 1960s shows fabrics used for fashion and furnishings, and completes the exhibition.

The exhibition continues until 28 February 2016 and will be followed by Art Textiles: Marian Clayden in March and April.  As always the museum has a whole host of talks, workshops and activities.

Talking Textiles

West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song is the main temporary exhibition at the British Library at present. The exhibition explores West Africa's relationship with language whether it be oral, written or symbolic.  Comprised of 17 nations and with a population of over 340 million people it must have been a difficult decision for the curators deciding what to put in and what to leave out.  Luckily they did not leave out textiles.

The exhibition begins by looking at some of the region's various societies and how they are bound together with stories and symbols.  A major theme throughout the exhibition was how music and song is used to pass down myths and legends, as well as politics and social concerns.  Costume and masks often play a major role in the performance of such music.  There were masks on display but also films of performance.  This did not just relate to traditional West African ceremonies but also the annual Notting Hill Carnival.

There was a section on adinkra and Kente cloth with a display of hand carved stamps cut from gourds that are used to print a variety of symbols that makes this cloth so special.  Explanations of a variety of symbols were displayed throughout the exhibition.

One display of printed cloth was that made for the Methodist Church of Ghana's Inaugural Conference (1961) and turned into a dress.  It included the name of the conference, topographical images and floral motifs in a bright blue colour - it made a very striking outfit.

At the very end of the exhibition there was a section relating to modern writing - not just as books but as film, radio, even Twitter.   Also included was a display of cloth with symbols that alluded to sayings and proverbs.  The cloth was given names that reflected its meaning such as "Your eyes can see but your mouth cannot say", "You treat me as if I were a snail" and "Do not put your gold around the neck of a guinea fowl".

There was so much more in this exhibition and I was particularly interested in some of the individual stories that were told in written accounts or even in song.  The story of Queen Nanny of the Maroons. She was a remarkable woman with a very peculiar talent.

The exhibition does not shy away from issues surrounding such themes as slavery and colonialism, but the overall impression was of a region full of diversity, colour and joy.  There is plenty of music, some to listen to privately on headphones, but also some to enjoy as you walk around the exhibits.  I was particularly amused to see a group of teenagers spotted dancing along to the carnival music - not something usually seen in the British Library.

The exhibition continues until 16 February 2016 - see the British Library website for details of opening times and admission prices.  The library also has an exhibition about Alice in Wonderland (which I have yet to see) and continues until 17 April 2016.  This exhibition is free and in the library entrance hall.

Monstrous textile

For me, one of the joys of contemporary art is when something I have seen a dozen or so times, and taken no real interest in, later becomes something quite intriguing.  This is what happened when I went to Tate Modern this week and joined one of their free tours in the "Making Traces" gallery.  The first work we viewed was this piece by Lee Bul, called Untitled (Cravings White).

It is not an original piece in the sense that it is a 2011 reconstruction of a work lost in a studio flood. The original was created in 1988.  The artist made other similar pieces in red and black.  It is made of textile, stuffed with more textiles.  It is not just a sculpture - it is a costume.

Lee Bull (b. 1964) is a Korean artist who wore this costume on several occasions both in Korea and in Japan.  Our Tate guide said she wore it in the streets but also in front of shrines.  It is therefore a remnant of performance art

It looks organic - like a root, but its colouring also makes it look like stone.  As a costume it makes the wearer look like a monster and this, we were told represents a "transgression of boundaries and a fascination with the uncanny".  It is reminiscent of myths and legends, but also reflects the artist's interest in the creatures of Hieronymus Bosch.  

As a costume worn by a female artist, it could also be seen as making a comment on gender issues.   There are also political interpretations.  What sort of woman would wear such a bizarre outfit in 1980s Korea?

It seems this fabric, organic, stone like, monster costume has many angles to explore relating to politics, performance, mythology, the natural world and gender.  I am not sure I will be able to walk past it again without seeing it in a completely new light.

Prehistoric Embroidery

Many years ago, when I studied creative embroidery (City and Guilds), a favourite topic was the history element.  There are several ancient pieces still extant.  There are quite a few pieces in the V&A Museum, including several medieval copes.  I expect these will be star pieces in their exhibition on opus Anglicanum later this year.  Perhaps the most famous, ancient embroidery is the work known as the Bayeux Tapestry (11th century). There is also some interesting Viking embroidery at the National Museum of Denmark (which dates from 970/971AD).  I think the oldest embroidery that exists was found in China.

Today I saw evidence of an exceptionally ancient piece of English embroidery.  Click HERE for a picture though it is not very exciting - and it looks just the same in real life.  What is remarkable is that it is over 2000 years old.  It is a piece of iron which was once a brooch.  The brooch corroded but the mark of the woven cloth it was attached to was imprinted on its surface and, it is said, shows evidence of embroidery at its edge.  I looked very closely but I could not see it, but perhaps with a magnifying glass, and no glass cabinet in between?  Yet I still thought it really fascinating because it showed evidence of "ordinary" embroidery in pre-historic Britain.  It dates from 250-100BC and was found in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

It was part of the British Museum, Celts: Art and Identity exhibition.  There were two other pieces of embroidery on display - one a banner at the entrance which dated from 1896 (designed by a TH Thomas) and used annually in the Welsh Eisteddfod, and another decorating part of a "druid" costume, also for the Eisteddfod.

The exhibition looked at what is meant by the term Celtic - like many such labels its meaning has changed over time.  Originally it was the Greeks back in 500BC who used it to describe people of continental Europe (not Britain or Ireland), later it was used to differentiate non-Roman people.  In 1703-7, "Celtic" described the languages of Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Ireland, Brittany and the Isle of Man which are all connected linguistically but then developed separately.  The eighteenth century was also the time when the idea of the Celts was first romanticised.

I learnt that Celtic is not a race of people but a term to describe communities with a non-Mediterranean way of looking at the world (ie, they were different from the Classical world).  Celtic art is identified as including stylised plants, animals and people with abstract shape-shifting designs, most likely reflecting religious beliefs.  Celtic art was picked up and used by the Romans, and it developed and changed over the years. It was used to decorate pots, weapons, books and jewellery - all of which were on display.  There were a large number of torcs - some of them very fine and delicate, some hefty and looked very uncomfortable to wear.  It is believed the different designs represented regional differences.

Going around this exhibition looking at the designs that survived on pots and other objects I wondered how many would have been inspired by, or replicated in, embroidery.  This week an archaeological dig in Cambridgeshire (Must Farm) was reported as finding textiles dating from the Bronze Age so perhaps there is a chance of finding some even older embroidery.

The exhibition at the British Museum continues until 31st January 2016.

Judith - a woman of violence and virtue

I love catch up TV and the other day I re-watched a programme on Artemisia Gentileschi - a 17th century artist of great talent who worked at a time when being a woman made it a difficult career choice.  I did know a little about her before the programme, but I did recognise some of the art works. It was an interesting programme about what is known about her life, which I wish I had known before my recent trip to Rome.  I was particularly surprised to see that the church (Santo Spirito in Sassia), where she married.  It was one of the churches I had sought out because of its intact foundling wheel.

One of Artemesia's most famous paintings might seem rather surprising for a woman of her time - an image of "Judith Slaying Holofernes".  It is rather graphic, but immensely powerful - and I have only seen it in reproduction.

A very simplified version of the story is that the virtuous widow Judith plans to overcome General Holofernes who is attacking her home city of Bethulia.  The beautiful Judith, dressed in her finery, visit the General's tent.  While he is overcome with drink, she calmly cuts his head off, and carries it home.  

Surprisingly it was a very popular subject for embroidery and other needlework items in the seventeenth century.  The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge has a version as a whitework sampler  (click here) and there also exists a needlework panel belonging in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow (click here).  Sometimes Judith is shown with her female servant and often she is holding the head in her hand.

Judith was one of several biblical heroines who allowed women the opportunity to send a message of political protest while pursuing what was then considered a rather genteel art.