The Stuff That Matters Textiles collected by Seth Siegelaub
1 March to 6 May 2012
On Saturday 3rd March I visited Raven Row to see the exhibition of historic textiles collected by Seth Siegelaub over the past thirty years, for the Center for Social Research on Old Textiles (CSROT).
It was a thrilling to see, and read about the history of woven, printed textiles and embroideries from fifth-century Coptic to Pre-Columbian Peruvian, late medieval Asian and Islamic textiles, and Renaissance to eighteenth-century European silks and velvets, even Barkcloth (tapa) from the Pacific region (image left: tapa from Papua New Guinea) and Africa.
Its thrilling because, many of the fabrics are not behind glass. You could, although discrete signage encourages you not too, reach-out and touch them. This proximity to stuff, and the trust implicit in its exhibition, is thrilling
The headdresses are amazing!