Weaves of India

October 17, 2021 4:38 PM

Weaves of India Journey across India, as Live History India takes you to stories behind the most famous and historic textiles of India. Eg. Kanchipuram saris
posted by dhruva (4 comments total)

These are great, thanks! I watched the Kanchipuram one - I wished they showed more examples of the cotton saris but that giant shed full of colorfully warped pit looms made me smile. It would be a great opportunity for some drone footage, where you would be able to see the warp and the actions of the weaver beyond just the yanking of the fly shuttle leash.

Don’t miss the Patan Patola one - I love me some double ikat and the Patan Patola work is so beautiful and so -challenging- I really liked that they called out the traditional woven motifs on the stepwell.
posted by janell at 6:49 PM on October 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

Oh man i stumbled upon this series in the thick of pandemic quarantine last year and it's been sparking a lot of personal research questions regarding indian textiles and the connection with southeast asian ones and to what extent the local ones are those made to make up for market demand and eventually becoming its own thing.
posted by cendawanita at 7:54 PM on October 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

Seriously, cendawanita, I can’t think of much more engrossing than the story of the cultural interplay over time - local products into trade goods and back. (And the accompanying technical innovation)
posted by janell at 8:17 PM on October 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

Virginia Postrel wrote one of my favorite reads in the last year or so.

The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World

This goes into how much of Industrial Revolution was driven by Textile Industry. One of the corollaries for me; as a Chemical Engineer; is the modern chemical industry had a starting point in trying to make useful chemicals from the Coal Tar coming out of the steam engines that were powering the looms. The product; invented by William Perkin; led to the dyestuff industry. One of the unintended consequences of THAT was the collapse of the Indigo Farmers in Bihar, and the devastation that caused.

Anyway; if you are interested in a holistic view of textiles and it's effect on Human Civilization; give that book a read.

Also, a lot of textile patterns were adapted from Indian Handloom industry; things like Calico, Muslin, Madras Print etc. etc. As a proud Madrasi; I still wear Lungis till today!

Thanks for this link Dhruva; Subscribed!
posted by indianbadger1 at 12:48 PM on October 18, 2021 [3 favorites]