“[As they] pass over the earth, they [weave] a sacred cloak over the Great Mother, each journey like a thread… [Even] a person’s thoughts are like threads. The act of spinning is the act of thinking. The cloth they weave and the clothes they wear become their thoughts. [Everything they do is conceived of as a fabric, and] everything begins and ends with the loom.” [1]
A tapestry of thought.
Beginning with just the strands that, over time, are woven together. Steadily they form the folds of time and place, layers upon layers stacked, connected, tossed, lost, and found through the histories and herstories of us.
And so here we are… here we begin with nothing but a thread in hand, attempting to connect the past, present and future.
It seems fitting that, as I launch this blog, I have just started learning to weave. Taking up the flow of this ancient rhythm of creating fabric, an art and craft that dates back at least 20,000 years ago [2]. On a whim, I purchased a small loom at a moving sale and am currently making simple designs as I grow accustomed to the process and feel. I believe purchasing this loom was the final push I needed to finally start compiling this “tapestry of thought”. I’m attempting to create a collection of fragments, a space to continually begin again and explore my love of history and textiles. However, it is important to me that this space not be limited by one medium, time, viewpoint, or culture. Casting out a wide net to the world’s offerings and allowing points of connection to surface.
You see, as this tapestry grows, it is my hope that these strands will connect not only metaphorically but also in reality. My aim is to weave a complex network in an attempt to find answers and novelty. Putting into practice the wisdom of our ancestors and their deep relationship with the tactile & making processes that have since dwindled in modern life. We can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to reckless forms of production that are draining the life blood and soul from our people and planet. Looking to the past, can help enlighten the future.
As I consider myself both a beginner researcher & writer, I appreciate any and all feedback and critique. I look forward to sharing and discussing this journey together.
Let me leave you with a bit of biolace, seemingly plucked from the future… thanks for reading!
Loose Threads:
-
A must read on the fast fashion industry – Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline
Sources:
[1] The Kogi people of the Amazon rainforest believe their place in the universe is but one strand of a great weaving. Quote from One River by Wade Davis (as cited in Textiles: The Whole Story, Beverly Gordon, page 39).
[2] Barber, E. J. W. Women’s Work: the First 20,000 Years: Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times. Norton, 1995.
Tides & Textiles 