I knew I was going to be writing notes and thoughts of inspiration all through 'Fabric of India'. Partly as it is another of the V&A museum's annoying 'no sketching' exhibitions, but mostly due to mounting sense of hesitation and a lack of confidence in my drawing ability to do Indian texiles any justice.
Please note: excuse the poor illustrations, I took photos of the exhibition catalogue book.
The rich history and culture of India and its textiles, particularly in light of its influence on and relationship with Britain is enough to write a million blogposts about. Descriptive language heavily (particularly when photography is not allowed). My summative view of the artefacts and information curated and presented focuses on narratives presented through imagery, timely craftmanship presented by process, and a general appreciation for the varied functions, techniques and colours which make Indian textiles so unique.
To start loosely chronological. Imagine, upon entry, walking in and immediately casting your eyes onto a vast wall hanging upon entry, perhaps 20 by 10 metres. Woven with large rich red and green flowers upon cream with similar motif borders. A relatively simple design, apart from it's complex scale. You go up to read the display card, informing you that it is a floor spread, a "summer carpet", making an indoor garden for those sitting on the floor. Immediately the culture difference is apparent; there are different design needs and considerations. And one sees their first glimpse of how important and everywhere textiles, decoration and adornment are within India, as 'Flower patterns were used widely, from manuscript borders to architecture.'
A somewhat more subtle form of decoration, for which I have a particular fondness, especially as the V&A, is the exhibition design. The most evident and coherent example was used to write out the titles of the information boards. The words are pieced together by letters formed from sewing machine-stab-style dots, like unpicked stitches, with thin perfectly straight taught 'loose' threads inter-connecting the letters. Above the vast summer carpet by the entrance, the title 'Fabric of India' is spelled out by round light-bulbs instead of holes. The pink-red yarns emitted are stretched horizontally high high up to make a glamorous temporary delicate ceiling). A lack of colour of the information boards takes reference to fabric stripped back to their basics: nothing need to be done to make reference to the vivid colours and embellishments which cascade into peoples's heads upon the thought of Indian textiles.
The layout of the first room, essentially an introduction to the world of all things textiles as well as Indian specific, is curated by process. Natural dye substances, tie-dye techniques, raw fibres, embellishment, print, weaving and embroidery are covered. I particularly enjoyed the print section, in light of my own work using modern processes, and also for my interest in wood carving, such as that used to make printing blocks. The process of crafting these was illustrated by a video, showing how they trace the pattern by transferring ink from tracing paper, using a grid to match up the motifs. Then small nail like chisels are used to cut away the wood. It was mesmerising to watch
The accompanying information board explained; 'In India print is associated with the north and west. Dress fabrics used small repeating floral patterns in several colours, requiring multiple blocks. From about the 14th century, western India used large blocks to produce huge wall hangings.' One dress fabric on display, named 'Galamkar', decorated with seemingly whimsical scenes of animal, people, trees and palaces, presented the lengthy process these textiles went through. The display describes it as 'cotton hand-painted, block printed with mordants and resists, then dyed'. This can only go to demonstrate how print, along with dye and weave, were rarely used alone, yet combined demonstrating a level of skill and passage of time, an element integral to the appreciation of craft and hand processes. This narrative-rich artefact reveals to us a 500 year old story; a timeless piece of physical beauty.
In addition to print, I greatly enjoyed the embroidery and stitch section. One piece which stood out to me was the Kantha embroidery of west Bengal and Bangladesh. It was a square piece of plain pale cloth. embroidered in a simple running stitch, using red and blue threads. It seemed quite unusual colour wise and it's simplicity, yet this accentuated the simple yet intricately detailed linear quality. It resembled a line drawing with characters and scenes of a story. This kind of quilting was uses to to make bed spreads and sitting mats.
Of all the elements of the exhibition I find difficult to capture with words, it is hard to describe the richness of shades and hues. There were so many gorgeous colours (and once gorgeous but now faded ones on display). One which will stick with me however is gold. The gold leaf printed textiles so luxurious, embellished and woven threads of an exquisite and delicate beauty.
There are several items I wish to directly focus on, for their combination of narratives, functionality and evidence of process. The first is the Bhitiya, a style of wall hanging used to decorate interiors for events such as weddings. The one display entirely covered the walls of the small separate room it was in, accompanied by the sound of traditional Indian joyous music, I felt immediately transported far away just being there. Like a vast patchwork in red cream greens with slight bursts of purple and yellow. It's embroidered stitches and appliqué grants it a 2-dimensional tactile quality. Graphic patterns dance alongside illustrations of men and realistic animals such as elephants, and more ambiguous ones resembling cow-horse hybrids.
I just love the idea of textile, pattern and colour being used to adorn every surface, particularly within architecture. A stunning and frequent demonstration of this came through the inclusion of 'tent lining textiles', the most notable being Tipu sultan's tent. Rulers all over india used tents as moveable palaces, during pleasure trips and hunts as well as on military campaigns. Their outsides were plain but insides highly decorated. I have a developed interest in adaptable and flexible (as in transportable) architecture. So this spatial decorative function, which applies narratives to physical space, really made my heart sing.
Another item that I was immediately drawn to was the Map Shawl. Not actually designed to be worn, it looked heavy, being so full of intricate detail. It depicts the city of Srinagar in Kashmir, with reference to real life features such as the lakes and the mosque. It's playful and illustrative; large expanses of water break up a pattern of houses, all blending into a similar pattern but look closer and they are different. It's so intricate it's almost hard to focus on, not helped by the amazing colour fringing along the ends. Though saying that there are so many different elements to it people will focus in on different things, see the story they want to see. Maps are made to be looked at close, they are things to be explored.
The final item I will focus on is the 'Flag', depicting the death of a muslim warrior. This was immediately striking as the only a-symmetric wall hanging in the room. There was long, short, wide, narrow...; there are not many words which could aptly describe the shape of this, other than jaunty. At 6.8 metres long it was fairly large with it's far edge formed of bunting with pom pom tops like comically oversized fringing. It's body was embellished with pictures from the story, though from looking it's not clear to me whether it is in an kind of chronological order, or facing an particular direction. Despite all these I think it is very fun and attractive. I like things being kept open to interpretation.
The final rooms of the exhibition dealt with trade and changes in industry, still imposing an overwhelming appreciation for the unique and exotic nature of indian textiles which still remains today. Though saying that, it's still evident that the shining light of craftmanship is falling away into the dark shadow of fast and throwaway fashion. Still, haute couture can try help balance the battle. I loved the Isabel Marant dress from 2012 embroidered at Les Ateliers 2M, Mumbai. A jaunty patchwork of intricately embellished indian fabric, cut into a small cute yet sexy dress. Manish Arora's ode to traditional indian textiles, ever on-trend street style and contemporary saris close the exhibition, yet as ever by good curation they present the start of the next chapter
Overall I greatly enjoyed this exhibition, I found lots of personal inspiration in it, though I feel that is a power traditional textiles always have over me. I feel like now with modern technologies there is a drastic change, not only in textile production but in the way we need, use and feel about them. As designers I think it is important to look back at these examples within a contemporary context, so we can see how we can add value to our own work in a world which is so different, and ever-changing. A value which engages, inspires and is appreciated, ensuring longevity. I can safely say I feel the pieces of cloth I saw today tell stories of a very long and happy life, not only within their decoration, but within their very fibre.
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