January 15, 2008

The Working Traveller - Part 1 - John Gillow

January 15, 2008/ Tim McLaughlin

The Working Traveller was a workshop held at the Maiwa Textile Symposium on October 17, 2007. The panel consisted of John Gillow, Noorjehan Bilgrammi, and Charllotte Kwon. Each member of the panel spoke about their personal experience as a working travller, how they got started, the reason for their journeys and how travel and the interaction with other cultures has changed their lives.

In this, the first of four episodes, John Gillow introduces his life and speaks about his passion for textiles. John is a well established author who has produced a wide range of title for the publisher Thames and Hudson. He is currently completeing a new title, Textiles of the Islamic World. Johnw is also a collector who has witnessed the changes in the Kutch Desert of India for Over 30 years.

Recorded at the 2007 Maiwa Textile Symposium on October 17, 2007
Posted January 2008

The Mummies of Ürümchi: Textiles in Time

December 15, 2007/ Maiwa

Local archaeologists working in Chinese Turkestan have uncovered numerous naturally mummified and spectacularly clothed bodies of Caucasians dating to the Bronze Age, 3000 - 4000 years ago. Since little besides clothing was put into the graves, Dr. Elizabeth Barber (one of the few experts on prehistoric textiles) was invited to accompany an expedition from the University of Pennsylvania to Western China to help determine facts about these displaced westerners.

Waiting for the Monsoon: Slow Clothes in India

November 15, 2007/ Maiwa

Before there was a term for what it was doing, Maiwa looked to employ traditional dyers, blockprinters, weavers, and artisans in the production of quality garments that could compete in the world market. This approach has led to many relationships. One of the most inspired is a partnership with the Dosaya family and an Indian village.