Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Ikat

That day, on a lark, I decided to visit a nearby village known for its woven wares, a community where this legacy was passed from one generation to the next. After the short boat ride, I was on the small island. I remember the feel of the scorching sun on my forehead. I had forgotten to bring a hat, again, and I wondered how long my heavy-duty sunscreen would hold up.



I immediately found myself wandering past homes and backyards, among open grassy fields upon which stilted wood-framed houses perched and livestock grazed freely.


After some time spent tracing the circumference of the island along its only dirt road, I wandered past her backyard. Seeing me, she slowly pried open the wooden gate that demarcated her property, inviting me in for a cup of water. I accepted. With hands trembling, she showed me her loom, her work, the silk cloths she created in striking hues and prints. The cloths were mottled a bit, the threads hanging loose on some parts and forcibly jutting out on others, but, as a result of these imperfections, they appeared even more beautiful to me, more arresting.

I decided on an ikat print for 60,000 kip. I still have the cloth and have been toying with the idea of making it into something wearable, like a skirt. When I was last in Portland, I talked to seamstress-extraorindaire Lindsay about possibilities. I remain unsure. It seems a shame to cut it up.

6 comments:

  1. How incredible! I absolutely adore ikat prints. I fear I'd buy so many I'd have to take a second suitcase home... xo katie

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  2. The cloth becomes all the more precious when you know the hands that created it. Her face touched my heart.

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  3. What an awesome experience! I can't imagine how cool it would be to own a piece of usable, beautiful art- and you got to meet the artist!

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  4. Katie: I know! The ikat I brought home is the black,violet,green one in the corner.

    Yoli: And, her hands moved me.

    Lar: I just don't know if I can have Lindsay cut it up, but wearable art would be a better use for it.

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  5. It must have been amazing to see that. Totally fascinating.

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  6. Thanks, Jennifer. The people in the village were lovely.

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