Bohemia: Magical Textiles is trying something new. This is the first in a series of interpretations of a single textile by myself and a guest expert.
Showing posts with label prehistoric weaving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prehistoric weaving. Show all posts
Trance
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| Obvious entoptic image from a Shipibo textile (Peru) |
It is widely accepted that trance and shamanism played a role in prehistoric art and mark-making. Most scholars agree that the depiction of motifs on cave walls does not occur while the artist is actually in a trance state, but that the artist creates the artworks afterwards, illustrating her or his experiences during the trance. Weaving the motifs, though, may be another matter. As any weaver can attest, weaving is most certainly a repetitive action. Could the action of weaving, itself, be the induction method for the weaver to enter a trance state during which time she or he communicates with and travels through the spirit world? If that is the case, then the production of motifs occurs contemporaneously with, or within, the trance. If trance is indeed the origin of many traditional textile motifs, this may explain why they have been relevant and compelling for thousands of years.
The prehistory of textiles: Paleolithic
Textile production is one of the most ancient arts and is one of the most important factors in the survival of our species. Awls and eyed needles for sewing hides began to appear over 70,000 years ago. Amazing!
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