PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS
5.1 Documenting the traditional African textile design and Chinese folk fabric art
African textile design and artsgo back thousands of years when several ethnic groups started weaving their own cotton and making clothes for utilisation. Their arts and design expressions were known for geometric patterns graced with vibrant colour choices which were principally bright in that sense (Picton, 1999:28). According to Blanco and Regan (2011), “the substance of all textile art in Africa is shaped by its powerful link to the dominant symbolic traditions in a given social structure. Designs were born from symbols connected to religious rituals, languages, or even ceremonial rites associated with the king and nobility. In the same way, other ethnic groups also used the objects of nature, the surrounding landscapes and animals as inspiration for
their innovative works in their prototype symbols which have accumulated from various social environments and groups, to be used as embellishing materials for different purposes. Slowly through time, these representations evolved into symbols which could be imprinted on fabrics”(Barrow Hall Gallery, 2011:2).
Fundamentally, the textiles design of Africa derived from the backgrounds of 55 African countries’ culture and more than 800 linguistic groups (Picton, 1999: 28). The African continent has various natural environments ranging from cordillera to harsh deserts, the Great Rift Valley and rainforests. These overall natural environments determined what African people created and wore in addition to, the missionaries’ or explorers’ influences. These environmental and cultural differences contributed to laying a foundation of unique styles, marvellous fine arts, attractive cultural dressing and traditional crafts of contemporary African textiles (Dereje, et al., 2011:229).
Blanco and Regan held an exhibition of West African Textiles at Barrow Hall Gallery in 2007. In this epitome of showcasing African arts, cultures and society, exquisite wearable design and crafts were shown. These textiles and accessories excelled with their beautiful colour collections, structure, composition and visible characteristic elements. Each element of the specific African patterns has particular meaning and symbolically represents several African social values. Those values are revealed through a diverse form of lines, curves and complete symbols to convey hope, spiritual messages and other invisible concepts (Barrow Hall Gallery, 2011:3).
Figure 5.1 is a typical example of a traditional African textile on display in the exhibition. This textile was made in the adire eleko technique. “Adire” means to resist dye in Yoruba, using indigo and “eleko” indicates the usage of a resist paste that is painted or die-stamped on the fabric (Barrow Hall Gallery, 2011:11). This technique is used for one side of the cloth applying a starch paste, which is then pressed into a stencil of zinc using a spatula of metal. The cloth is then dyed with indigo many times.
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resisting the dye substance when it is removed. On the fabric, the dark colour is shown because of void starch and the light blue colour is shown because starch was applied (Barrow Hall Gallery, 2011:11). There are many featured elements in this textile design, and they inspired me to explore traditional motifs and symbols that can be used in my pattern designs. For instance, the middle pattern is the traditional motif
“tree of life”, as well as the delineation of utensils, which probably related to the significance of owning these daily necessities which also represent a given level of prestige (Barrow Hall Gallery, 2011:11).
Figure 5.1
Yoruba people, stencil & starch resist - dyed agbada, Nigeria cotton (Collected by Dr. Akinloye, Barrow Hall Gallery, 2011:11)
Over the past thousands of years, the industrious and wise Chinese craftsmen have created various folk fabric handicrafts of great originality and artistry. As an important part of the Chinese arts, folk handicraft not only embodies the general feature of arts and crafts but also suggest the distinctive characteristic of the Chinese culture, fully exhibiting the excellent creativity and life interest of the Chinese (Wen & Lyu, 2012:1).
Embroidery is the most-represented Chinese folk fabric art that involves the use of needles and thread. It is essentially done for the purpose of decorations by sewing different types of materials into a cloth layer to make patterns and designs that are normally a beautiful natural expression. According to the documents of China Arts and Crafts Association (CA&CA), “embroidery, a folk fabric art with a long tradition,
occupies a meaningful position in Chinese art and craft history. This has been inseparable from silkworm-raising, silk-reeling and weaving in its long development.
Today, silk embroidery becomes a unique symbol of China” (CA&CA, 2014).
China Central Television (CCTV) was associated with CA&CA making a special TV programme, which introduced the most famous Chinese embroidery, Su embroidery.
Su embroidery has a bold folk flavour and its weaving techniques are featured in the thin needle-sewing, the dense needle-lines, the flat product surface, the neat rim, the bright and harmonious colour and the even picture. The products of Su embroidery are segmented into three major categories: costumes, crafts for daily use and decorations for halls that incorporate decorative and practical concepts (Su Embroidery, 2014). Figure 5.2 shows a picture of this programme. In an interview with Qiwei Zhang, the director of Jiao Gu Su Embroidery Arts & Crafts Company, and he said, “As a status of national intangible cultural heritage of China, Su Embroidery needs to be protected by us, so we try to combine it with contemporary fashion style and add the fresh blood and feature to develop Su Embroidery faster in the future.”
(CA&CA, 2014).
Figure 5.2
The CCTV’s Su Embroidery Program (CA&CA, 2014)
I also did a related interview with the Chinese Su embroidery practitioner H Z while taking part in a short-term embroidery skills training at her workshop in Wuxi.
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method of its stitches was blended in the development of my products.