HIGH ACHIEVERS From earliest infancy to the wrapping of the funerary shroud, life in many Indonesian societies is both literally and figuratively interwoven with textile traditions, of which ikat is perhaps the most technically sophisticated. ‘The Fabric of Life: Ikat Textiles of Indonesia’ opening in February 2006 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is the first exhibition to examine this tradition across the full breadth of Indonesia and will explore the imagery, forms, and roles of this tradition, whose name comes from the Indonesian verb ‘to tie’. Most of the thirty or so outstanding ikat-woven textiles that will be exhibited have never been shown before and come from the Met’s extensive collection. Ikats are made by women using a complex process that involves tying lengths of cord around the unwoven yarns before dyeing, that when woven create rich and intricate patterns. The textiles are astonishingly diverse in their imagery, from bold geometric compositions to figural patterns of striking visual and technical virtuosity. Some reflect artistic influences from India, the Southeast Asian mainland, or the Islamic world, while others draw on purely indigenous aesthetics. Ikats appear in diverse forms, from lavishly adorned skirts or shoulder cloths, to ceremonial textiles usedto mark sacred spaces, enshroud the dead, or serve as potent symbols of their owners’ wealth and power. The exhibition will feature works from across the Indonesian Archipelago, from the subtly patterned fabrics of the Aceh region of Sumatra, an area recently devastated by the Southeast Asian tsunami, to the vibrant designs of the Iban women of Borneo, whose achievements at the loom were seen as equivalent to men’s exploits in battle. It will include works ranging from items of personal apparel, such as a group of luxuriously adorned tapis(women’s skirts) from the Lampung area of Sumatra, to an imposing ceremonial hanging from the Toraja people of Sulawesi, over 16 feet in length and adorned with images of crocodiles and deer. This 1920s man’s mantle or hinggi(detail right) from the island of Sumba, displays lavish motifs inspired by Indian silk trade textiles, which were made to adorn the shoulders or waist of an aristocratic male. 28 February – 24 September 2006

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FRUITS OF THE LOOM In ‘Woven Worlds’ Amsterdam’s Tropenmuseum presents a selection of remarkable textiles from its rich trove of Batak arts assembled by four collectors over a period of 150 years. The textiles reveal much about the history of this extraordinary Sumatran weaving tradition. According to myth, the first weaver was a goddess from the Upper World who escaped an unfortunate marriage by sliding down her spun yarn to the seas of the Underworld where she created the earth, the Middle World. Spinning and weaving practices are thus associated with the origins of life. The products of women’s hands, textiles became the medium for contact with the spirit world and were treasured because they protected both the body and the soul. Since the colonial period weavers have adapted their art to new economic and social circumstances, gradually transforming the fruits of their looms into items of commerce and fashion. The exhibition is arranged chronologically and laid out in a circle, analogous to the continuous warp in the traditional Batak loom, to show the history and scope of the Tropenmuseum collection: from before colonisation through the heyday of collecting in the early 20th century and onto the present. A sister exhibition featuring the exquisite historic photographs of the Batak (left) by the collector Tassilo Adam will run alongside ‘Woven Worlds’. Until 14 May 2006

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