Textile Symposium Reflections

With this year’s Textile Society of America Biennial Symposium taking place virtually, I had the pleasure of attending a variety of talks including one called Individual Papers: Reclaiming Traditions. I was drawn to this session by my interest in preserving traditional textile knowledge. As a natural dyer and hand-printer, traditional techniques are central to my work. Despite the wide availability of modern chemical dyes and industrial printing, ancient techniques remain attractive to myself and many others. Though none of the panelists spoke about natural dyes specifically, I was excited to hear about the reclamation of textile traditions in different communities around the world.

The session began with a presentation from Rajiben Vankar, a business owner and weaver in India who works with plastic waste to create beautiful and sought-after bags and accessories. Her environmentally conscious and contemporary use of traditional weaving skills has brought her business great success. Rajiben was joined by panelist Juhi Pandey, who provided a written English translation on Rajiben’s slides. Juhi is the former director of the Khamir Craft Resource Centre, where Rajiben got started with plastic weaving. I appreciated that the symposium attendees were able to hear from Rajiben despite the barrier of language, which often excludes important voices like hers from these conversations. You can read more about Rajiben Vankar’s story here, and check out her Facebook page.

Fig. 1 Rajiben Vankar with a bag from her brand.

Attendees then heard from Magali An Berthon about the reclamation of traditional silk weaving in a group of Cambodian weavers. As a research fellow at the Royal College of Art, Magali created a two-part film documenting the traditional Cambodian method of silk ikat. This warp-based ikat technique involves immense precision, skill, and time, but the results are stunning. Although Magali noted that these weavers don’t use natural dyes at this time, they’ve taken large strides towards reclaiming and preserving traditional craft knowledge.

Fig. 2 Magali An Berthon's two part video series documenting Cambodian silk weaving

Finally, Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada explained the origins of sashiko and shared contemporary embroidery work from the Nui Project. Originating in the cold regions of Japan, sashiko was used to layer scraps of fabric onto garments, providing much needed insulation. Until cotton became more widely accessible, the people in this region could only access hemp and linen, which are very poor insulators. It’s fascinating how a technique rooted in surviving the elements quickly became decorative as well. Sashiko is a clear example of the human desire to make things beautiful, even when they already serve a practical purpose.

Fig. 3 Example of a sashiko kimono from the late 19th Century

I was greatly inspired by these presenter’s ideas of reclaiming, preserving, and revitalizing traditional craft. I sincerely enjoyed this session of the symposium and am grateful to have heard from these presenters about reclaiming different traditions. Hopefully, I will be able to attend the next symposium in 2022!

Fig. 1 Kotia, Shinjini. Rajiben Vankar with her own crafted Upcycled Plastic Handwoven Bag. 2020. Photograph. India Fellow. Web. Accessed 03 November 2020.

Fig. 2 a) Berthon, Magali An. "The Silk Chronicles: Warp." Vimeo, uploaded by Magali An Berthon, 29 December 2017, https://vimeo.com/249058476. Accessed 03 November 2020.

Fig. 2 b) Berthon, Magali An. "The Silk Chronicles: Weft." Vimeo, uploaded by Magali An Berthon, 29 December 2017, https://vimeo.com/249504801. Accessed 03 November 2020.

Fig. 3 Sashiko Kimono. mid-19th century. Photograph. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/50806. Accessed 03 November 2020.