Reflection

Ornamentation is an interesting word. I say this because after the lecture last week, it is hard for me to continue to define it through the other terms that it is usually associated with- decorative, value addition, accessorize and so on. 

When asked to trace back our earliest mental images of garments, I thought of the ancient roman and Greek gods, in their freely draped attire. So is it safe to say, then, that anything above this simplistic form is ornamentation? Or can the singular broaches they wore to gather the drapes at a point also be considered ornamentation? I found myself exploring these answers through this class.

 Though the word ornamentation has been in existence since the 13^th century, it seems to have gone through a metamorphosis in its meaning.  A little over a century ago, Adolf Loos wrote ‘Ornament and Crime’, which is a strongly worded piece against all forms of ornamentation.  Although I do see the beauty in minimalism, a movement where a minimum number of elements are arranged to produce maximum effect, I do not agree with the classification of what is ornamentation and therefor ‘unnecessary’. Through examples as that of the Bayeux tapestry, we see the relevance of embroidery, a medium that would usually be considered ornamental or a mere embellishment, as a powerful and grasping mode of storytelling and communication.

                                                                    

                                                                     ADOLF LOOS

I’ve had very little understanding of the history and origins of textiles before this, which is part of why I never really understood how cloth could be a medium to represent the socio-economic condition of a time or place. This is why the documentary on Yinka Shonibare’s work had be surprised. He has beautifully juxtaposed a representation of one culture with form and structure from another. The irony in each of his pieces, particularly in the ‘ Scramble for Africa’, is rather overwhelming. Firstly, on a visual front, you see the serious postures and emphasis through hand gestures contrasted with the bright and colorful batik fabric. It also seems to be a sardonic note on the fact that there was no actual representation of the community being discussed at the table that decided its future. The play on freedom and structure is apparent in all of Shonibare’s work.

                                                            SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA

The lecture took an interesting turn when we began the discussions on patterns and motifs, and how symbols, though remembered through their most famous associations, may have entirely different origins. The best example of this is the cross. Though everyone associates it with Christ and the crucifix, we’re largely unaware of its Pagan origins. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, the shape of the cross “had its origin in ancient Chaldea, and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt. Infact, the pagans were largely received into the churches to retain their signs and symbols.

Through this class, I’ve had the opportunity to read into terms that we hear so often. Concepts such as representation and abstraction, as well as movements such as the Art and Crafts movement, led largely by a very influential designer by the name of William Morris, who was best known for his pattern making. Morris felt that the ‘diligent study of Nature’ was important, as nature was the best example of God’s design. In 1981, Morris founded the Kelmscott Press, names after the village near Oxford where he had lived since 1871. The Kelmscott Press produced high quality hand- printed books to be cherished as objects d’art.

WILLIAM MORRIS

I’ll end along the same lines that the class began – fabric, though looked upon primarily to cover and protect, serves as a channel for understanding, communicating, teaching and of course, judging. We make a number of assumptions through cloth on a daily basis.  Thus, by reading cloth, and the many threads linked to it, we can make better sense of our social, political and even economic environment today.