READING CLOTH

In architecture and decorative art, ornaments are decorations that are used to embellish a building or any part of the body. It has been derived from the Latin word ‘ornāre’, meaning ‘to adorn’. Architectural ornament can either be carved from a stone, wood or from any precious metal. These can be formed using plaster or clay, or painted and impressed onto a surface. Today, one can find a wide variety of decorative styles and motifs developed for architecture and applied arts, which include pottery, metalwork, furniture and textiles.

Textile plays a vital role in meeting man’s basic needs for clothing and shelter. India is a country, which is known all over the world for its beautiful bright colours, having a rich heritage of fabrics. Whether one travels from north to south, or east to west, each state has its own unique technique. Textile weaves and interlocking of threads are visible all around us starting with the clothes that we wear to the bed linens we sleep on, and the spectacular jewellery and bags that we carry. The style of dressing tells us a lot about a person, having a great impact on their personality. Therefore, I chose this course, as I was extremely fascinated and excited to explore this asset of India.

The real question is where did it all start? How was the first fabric designed and by whom? What type of clothing was worn at one time? Where were the motifs and patterns taken from?

The first dress worn by the Homo neanderthalnsis (early men) were coconut leaves and loosely draped animal skin. This further gave rise to the long, loosely draped robes and the sari. Basketry, was the first form of weaving which later gave rise to the big, complex looms that we use in todays day and age.

Joseph Marie Jacquard, invented the jacquard loom which is a mechanical loom in 1801. This was the first machine to use punched card. Punched cards controlled the weaving and enabled workman to produce some of the most beautiful designs and patterns easily and at a much faster speed. Earlier, the workmen would have to sit for long hours, producing a single weave which needed a lot of patience and hard work.

This was an amazing technology to the textile industry as it cut down the total of human labour by a huge number.

The ornamentation of a fabric can be through embroidery, printing, dyeing, laces, different stylized cuts and shape of the garment, mirror work, etc. Several people consider ornamentation to be positive and something that magnifies the value of a product, on the other hand, Adolf Loos argues how modern man should eliminate the ornament to reach the highest evolutionary potential. In his article, “Ornament and Crime”, 1908, he calls Ornament to be “backward or degenerate”. He explains his philosophy of how ornamentation can have the effect of causing objects to go out of style, thus becoming obsolete.

However, my thoughts are not in coordination with those of Adolf Loos. I consider, clothes and adornment to speak volumes – a language that speaks literally and metaphorically through the material, colour, shape, size and the texture. Each individual articulates the word “ornamentation” differently. It is a way to express your thoughts, status, and the way one leads their everyday life.

There have been a number of designs, which have brought about a socio and cultural intersection in society. Paisley or Paisley pattern, is an English term for a design using the boteh, a droplet shaped vegetable motif of Persian or Indian origin. These designs became extremely popular in the west in the 18^th and 19^th century, following imports of post-Mughal versions of the design from British India, especially in the form of Kashmir shawls, and were then limited locally. The pattern is sometimes called “Persian Pickles” by American traditionalists, especially quilt-makers, or “Welsh pears” in Welsh textiles as far back as 1888.

This class helped me understand that everything has a history attached to it. May it be a fabric or even a small motif or a pattern, their existence can all be traced back.