Fiber art and textiles must be one of the
most difficult art forms to capture properly in photography. With
the advent of digital technology in recent years, it has
become
increasingly possible
for
fiber
artists
themselves to record their work and activities photographically
and to be able to share this ancient
art form far more widely.
One of the unfortunate losses of this field's
millennia-long history has been the loss of most ancient textile
artifacts.
A major reason for the loss has been the
comparably fragile nature of the materials. Whereas ceramics,
metals, stone and the like can often survive centuries
of erosion
and
exposure,
textiles and fiber are far more susceptible to disintegration.
A second major reason for the loss of historical
work has been how earlier decades of archaeology
have tended to discard remnants of textile evidence as being
unimportant, uninformative and unattractive.
Until the 19th
Century most of the early fiber technologies and skills were
handed
down
from generation
to generation. This was largely not through documentation
and book learning, but through personal oral transmission
and
hands-on demonstration. Since
then, the Industrial Revolution and modern technology have
advanced
far more quickly than 20th Century historians
had been able to record those oral histories and those ancient
technologies before they started disappearing.
Despite the continuing universal importance
of fiber and textiles in every aspect of our lives, they are
taken for granted in our modern world. Nowadays we are
dependent upon them for almost every moment of our lives; and
yet we have
little understanding regarding
their
composition, structure, compilation and history.
Thus, here is a miscellaneous "album" of
various processes, materials, graphic ideas, exhibitions, etc.,
to continue to help illustrate
a
deeper understanding of this contemporary tapestry art work based
on classic ancient Near Eastern traditions.
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