Viktorya Voice and Vote Sacramento and Napa CAhttp://blog.voiceandvote.comQuick BlogWomen's History Monthhttp://blog.voiceandvote.com/2008/03/14/womens-history-month.aspxTextiles: The Woven Voice of Culture Copyright 2008, Viktorya Allen
[The following essay assumes familiarity with Elizabeth Barber's Women's Work, The First 20,000 Years . I wrote this essay in response to the book, and also as a way to weave together my study of Textiles and love of women's history as it is relative to fiber. I have edited slightly to accommodate a reader who may not have read Berber's work. Cited references follow at the end of this essay.]
As makers, we get as close as possible to an object so we can observe how it is made; sometimes more is revealed than we expect. This is what happened to Barber. From an ancient fragment of wool, in trying to replicate the ancient design, Barber made a mistake: she wove the replica backwards.
She discovered structural evidence about the original weaving: the ancient weaver’s eye measured the placement of colored threads, rather than weaving from a formalized pattern.1 That in and of itself was the woven text in that ancient fragment of cloth and singularly is the weaver’s woven-voice. It becomes collectively that voice of culture as well. The wool cloth was spun and woven. In that process of accumulation information, lies subtle underpinnings of the culture of that time. Wool was gathered and spun, it was also woven. These bring up questions about civilization -- raising sheep and about what type of loom was used? Fortunately, anthropologists now are reading textiles, and observing what of culture is spoken to by the very pieces that they are 'reading'. Barber’s weaving brought her as close to the object as possible; she read the text of that woven-voice, which in that mistake, offered up more in-depth investigations of woven textiles.
People of various cultures communicate in their own symbolic code through textiles. This is mostly the context of Barber’s “Elements of the Code” from Women’s Work, The First 20,000 Years.
It goes without saying, the size and color of the human body vary somewhat. And because of our relative sameness, humans have invented and continue to invent a textile-language to communicate very specific information about who they are in what fibers they wrap around their bodies. How is this accomplished?
Particularly in one culture, a textile string-skirt announced female-readiness for childbirth.2
In another culture, when a knight was in his armor and during battle, banners of cloth flagged his identify.3
Elsewhere, stories are pictorially conveyed in cloth: major works of art such as the embroidered Bayeaux Tapestry from the eleventh century to the works of the displaced Hmong who depict on their textile surface stories of air raids on their homeland in the late twentieth century.4
And yet in another culture, weaver’s wrap circular warp-threads as an analogy of life’s continuity5;
Slavic stitches of embroidery around openings in garments protect the wearer from evil spirits6;
And finally in certain cultures, textiles announce both secular and non-secular space.7
In Barber’s examples, respectively, textiles communicate fertility, identify the personal and public persona, relate pictorial stories for the benefit of those who can’t read, illustrate the life cycle, provide protection and define space. Broadly speaking, the making of textiles is indigenous to every culture--textiles transcend boundaries and provide a means of communication which are understood, admired and at times feared.
For the most part we live clothed. Even as we sleep, the body may slip around on satin, feel the weight of cool linen sheets, or sink into a tightly-woven 100% cotton goose-down comforter, and feel that cotton encased pillow softly hug the back of the neck. This is an intimate sleep relationship some of us are have with textiles. We also have a tactile relationship with textiles while they are on our body. Then beyond the tactile is the visual, whereas viewing textiles on others is a sensational experience. Color stimulates sight. Fingertips respond to the physical stimuli of touching texture, sent by a tactile memory-message from the brain. Most who make fiberworks have a tendency to want to touch fabric, whether it is on a bolt or on someone's body. Only good manners or a system of taboo will keep in that check. 8
From a personal perspective, I am a maker of Wearable Art. I observe, collect, and make textile art. I may start with an idea, but as I get closer and closer to the art itself, it not only takes over and directs the making of it, but sometimes, if I listen, new discoveries are virtually at my hand.
There is a further element that goes beyond the making of wearable art, and that is the actual wearing of it. It is an energetic phenomenon. For instance, I never wear a highly decorative garment when I am tired, because I can’t physically respond to appreciators who want to discuss the garment or touch it. If I am dressed in beige monotone, I am communicating my need to blend into the landscape of humanity. I do not want to be noticed, nor discuss my textile art, nor be touched.
This was at first an unconscious act, but over time, I noticed this cause and effect textile-language communicated by my own body. Whether cloth is worn on the body or is otherwise displayed, culture is communicated in a woven voice of culture.
Works Cited
1. Barber, Elizabeth Wayland. Women’s Work, The First 20,000 Years. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1994. p 17-24.
2. ibid, p.150.
3. ibid. p 148.
4. ibid. p 154.
5. ibid. p 160.
6. ibid. p 162.
7. ibid. p 152.
8. Allen, Viktorya. Address: Network for Wearable Art: “Women’s History in Fiber”. Sonoma, California. 29 March 1994.
As recently as the 1970's, women's history was virtually an unknown topic in the K-12 curriculum or in general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a "Women's History Week" celebration for 1978. We chose the week of March 8 to make International Women's Day the focal point of the observance. The activities that were held met with enthusiastic response, and within a few years dozens of schools planned special programs for Women's History Week, over one-hundred community women participated in the Community Resource Women Project, an annual "Real Woman" Essay Contest drew hundreds of entries, and we were staging a marvelous annual parade and program in downtown Santa Rosa, California.
Local Celebrations In 1979, a member of our groups was invited to participate in Women's History Institutes at Sarah Lawrence College, attended by the national leaders of organizations for women and girls. When they learned about our county-wide Women's History Week celebration, they decided to initiate similar celebrations within their own organizations and school districts. They also agreed to support our efforts to secure a Congressional Resolution declaring a "National Women's History Week." Together we succeeded! In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) co-sponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution.
Overwhelming Response As word spread rapidly across the nation, state departments of education encouraged celebrations of National Women's History Week as an effective means to achieving equity goals within classrooms. Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Oregon, Alaska, and other states developed and distributed curriculum materials all of their public schools. Organizations sponsored essay contests and other special programs in their local areas. Within a few years, thousands of schools and communities were celebrating National Women's History Week, supported and encouraged by resolutions from governors, city councils, school boards, and the U.S. Congress.
The Entire Month of March In 1987, the National Women's History Project petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Women's History Month Resolution has been approved with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. Each year, programs and activities in schools, workplaces, and communities have become more extensive as information and program ideas have been developed and shared.
Growing Interest in Women's History The popularity of women's history celebrations has sparked a new interest in uncovering women's forgotten heritage. A President's Commission on the Celebration of Women in History in America recently sponsored hearings in many sections of the country. It took reports about effective activities and institutions that are promoting women's history awareness and heard recommendations for programs still needed. The Women's Progress Commission will soon begin hearings to ascertain appropriate methods for identifying and then preserving sites of importance to American women's history. In many areas, state historical societies, women's organizations, and groups such as the Girl Scout of the USA have worked together to develop joint programs. Under the guidance of the National Women's History Project, educators, workplace program planners, parents and community organizations in thousands of American communities have turned National Women's History Month into a major focal celebration, and a springboard for celebrating women's history all year 'round.
Expanding the Focus The National Women's History Project is involved in many efforts to promote multicultural women's history. We produce organizing guides, curriculum units, posters and display sets, videos, and a range of delightful celebration supplies. We also coordinate the Women's History Network, conduct teacher training conferences, and supply materials to people wherever they live through a Women's History Catalog. ]]>Women's Historyviktorya2008-03-08T08:25:18ZConstitution of the United Stateshttp://blog.voiceandvote.com/2008/03/06/constitution-of-the-united-states.aspx
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