My understanding and thoughts to Rakhi's lecture :)

I watched the video of yinka shonibare, when you come to think of it, it's quite interesting how different fabrics or motifs of fabrics that are specific to different cultures have moved from its origin to other parts of the world. 

It makes you think how it got there, why are indian printed fabrics produced in bangladesh, vietnam, china or in the western countries? is it because of low cost of production or because its motif or pattern is becoming a trend?

textiles have travelled extensively through trade, colonialism and the spread of religions. As for india, when vasco da gama had discovered the sea route to india , it helped in trade of fabrics between india and other countries. The east india company had controlled trade between the britain and the east. its imports included silk from china, lacquer from japan and cotton textiles from india.

Initially the british bought chintz and other textiles to use as a barter in the spice trade with the east indies, but there was soon a growing demand on the european market for indian fabrics, in both dress and furnishings.

I've seen different kinds of materials or fabrics but never really thought about where it's from, how its made.

I think it's really important to know the background of the fabric or material you use. I've used fabrics a lot for many of my projects or work but it never came into mind what the patterns on it are called or why i'm using such a kind of fabric or not.

The whole talk by Rakhi made me jot down points of things that i've given thoughts about.

 Made me think more about PRINTS OR MOTIFS on the fabric rather than how its actually interlocked. 

Motifs and patterns are what stands out the most when you look into fabrics from different cultures or countries. You can easily distinguish where fabrics came from sometimes by its patterns. There are also a lot of patterns on fabrics that i use daily or see but i never really knew where they came from or how they were derived. So i did a little research on where the patterns are from and made a list on them.

I think it really comes into good use when you know the history of the motif on the fabrics you use because it would help you link them to different topics of your work according to it's origin. ( just like yinka shonibare used african printed fabrics to create a political statement in his works)

I did not really know what the jacquard loom was, so - 

In 1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard, a silk-weaver, invented an improved textile loom. The Jacquard loom was the first machine to use punched card. These punched cards controlled the weaving, enabling an ordinary workman to produce the most beautiful patterns in a style previously accomplished only with patience, skill, and hard work.

He came up with the idea of inventing the Jacquard loom because the amount of time and hard work that the people in the industry put into making the textile would almost eliminate their profit . So he wanted to design a machine that could make the patterns automatically. 

His idea not only helped the textile industry but helped in the advance of technology. It cut back on the amount of human labour but also allowed patterns to be stored on cards and used over and over again to achieve the same product :) 

Who Is William morris ? How did he have any relation to the textile industry? 

William Morris  was the single most influential designer of the nineteenth century. Morris was a political theorist, scholar, translator and publisher, an environmental campaigner, writer and poet as well as an outstanding designer. Under his direction Morris & Co. grew into a flourishing and fashionable decorating firm renowned for its wallpapers and textiles.

Today Morris & Co. guarantees authentic versions of those designs alongside new interpretations, using innovations in printing and weaving technology to create up-to-date fabric and wallpaper designs with timeless appeal.