Textile Museum of Canada

May 2011
As I said in my earlier post, I have a treat for Textile Lovers :)

Recently we went to Toronto, Canada to visit my aunt who was there for a month. And as always, I made a long  list of what all we must see in Toronto, and as usual couldn't cover all due to time and logistic reasons. There were four museums on my list, Bata Shoe Museum, Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Textile Museum of Canada and Gardiner Museum (ceramics). But we covered just two them ROM and Textile Museum. So here I am sharing a 'detailed' experience of the Textile Museum of Canada.

Textile Museum of Canada, 

connecting cloth, culture and art

Dedicated to promote an understanding of human identity through textiles, the Textile Museum of Canada (TMC) is a non-profit institution, exhibitions, volunteering and school programs. TMC has a collection of more than 12,000 textiles from around the world. Covering 2,000 years of textile history, the collection includes fabrics, ceremonial cloths, garments, carpets, quilts and related artifacts.. Here is what we saw there. Please enlarge and enjoy the pictures!

Magic Squares: The Patterned Imagination of Muslim Africa in Contemporary Culture

-by Jamelie Hassan, Hamid Kachmar, Aila Toor and Tim Whiten

Hunter's Shirt, Hunter's Coat and Man's Tunic - West Africa, Mali / cotton, hand woven

Wrappers - West Africa, Niger / cotton, hand woven

Hat & Man's Outfits - West Africa, Nigeria-Hausa / grass, leather and cotton woven

Cuff - East Africa, Ethiopia / cotton woven and embroidered

Man's Robes (Shabka & Riga) - West Africa, Nigeria / damask, plain woven and braided

Door Hanging - North Africa, Egypt / cotton appliqued

Hats - West Africa / cotton

Commemorative Cloth - West Africa, Senegal, Dakar / plain woven, roller printed

99 Names of Aman - 99 names of aman embroidered on Dusk Masks was created in the wake of security panics that followed 9/11 in New York City and also as a response to 2003 SARS epidemic in Toronto.

Purse & Cushion - North Africa, Algeria / leather, dyed

Blanket - West Africa, Cote / cotton, strip woven, hand spun

Loop : Peter Wilkins, Contact photography festival 2011

Peter Wilkins’ recent series Loop is an examination of built environments and how “pattern languages” relate to urban planning and public space within Toronto.

The Volunteering and School Programs include:

Permanent Collection Gallery  

-An Iconography of Celebration

Jacket - Europe: Greece, Ionian Islands / cotton; gold thread; copper; embroidered; couched; velvet

Kimono, furisode - East Asia, Japan / silk embroidered

(left) Jacket - Central Africa / cotton-rayon woven & roller printed

(right) Masquerade Costume with Ceremonial Mask - West Africa / knitted

Apron - Souhthern Africa / goat skin, glass bead

Wedding Shawl - South Asia, Pakistan Punjab (now in India) / bagh phulkari, embroidery

Dress & Wedding Shoe Cover - India, Gujrat / cotton, silk, glass mirror

Jacket - China / silk, embroidered

Wedding Collar - China / silk, metal sequin, embroidered

Prayer Rug - China, Eastern Turkestan / silk, cotton, knotted pile

Silk Oasis

-on the Silk Road Bukhara

Map

Hope you enjoyed this treat of real long textile post. 

Soon I''ll show the glimpse of Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) soon. Keep reading, explore cultures.

Textile Heritage, India

Being a Textile Designer, I have to share this with all. In India textile enjoys a rich heritage and the origin of textiles in India traces back to the Indus valley Civilization where people used homespun cotton for weaving their clothes. Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Indian epics depict the existence of wide variety of fabrics in ancient India. These epics refer both to rich and stylized garment worn by the aristocrats and ordinary simple clothes worn by the common people. The contemporary Indian textile not only reflects the splendid past but also cater to the requirements of the modern times. 

Each and every region of India contributes in creating textile tradition.  The hilly region of the country produces a rich variety of woolen textiles. The barren and semi barren regions like Rajasthan and Gujarat usually prefers embroidered bright colored textiles. The coastal areas of the south eastern regions prefer light colored fabrics and particularly cotton and silk textiles are very popular over there. Apart from those mentioned, each and every region and state of India has its own distinct individual style in textile. Lets have a look on maps below. 

Textile Map of India

via INDOROMAN

Handloom Clusters in India

via Ministry of Textiles , India

Anek Designs by Kanika Bahl

Anek Designs was founded by NID alumnus Kanika Bahl along with her husband. The brand was launched in mid 2010. 

Anek Designs specializes in home linen and other textile accessories. The brand also undertakes custom interior textile projects. "The bold colors add an instant zing to any home and the products are a perfect balance of contemporary and traditional sensibilities!" -Kanika Bahl.

Kanika is also an active blogger, and is a proud owner of two blogs, '...and another' and 'Big Fat Indian Wedding'. She blogs about her daily inspirations, work and forthcoming projects on her blog '...and another' and all about dream weddings on 'Big Fat Indian Wedding'.

Anek Designs also has it's Etsy Shop, so shop now :) also join the brand for daily updates on Anek Designs facebook page.

my fav. 1

my fav. 2

my fav. 3

my fav. 4

I love all her products!

'Not So Elegant' collection by Designing Life

Ideas are all around us, and so is art. Indian Kitsch Art is an art

form which always fascinated me. They are filled with vivid

representations of popular cultural themes. From simple hand-print

on a village wall, to giant cut outs of film posters is kitsch.

It is an opportunity for expression and communication.

I believe, art in form is expression. With the wish to create

simple designs from uncomplicated ideas, I chose

this wonderful art of expression to express my love

for Kitsch and named it ‘not so elegant’.

I wish my whole idea of Indian Kitsch Art should be affordable

and should have the ‘within reach’ factor throughout the masses.

coordinates, casual hand-bags