Nope. First I have to scan the symbols into the computer and put them in iPhoto so I can post them here.
Peter Davies is a sour bastard, isn't he? He lives and works right here in Manhattan but I've never made the slightest attempt to meet him or show him this project. I can predict the scorn around a corner. He's a true scholar and I know that from his drive to destroy sloppy theories. Scholars are always destroying other scholars or covering their own butts. Glad I found that out before I wandered into those deceptively beautiful groves of academe.
But the photos in his book, Antique Kilims of Anatolia are superb. Best color I've seen in any book. And he's smart. If one could only get him drunk or something, maybe he'd get off that relentless diatribe and tell us something lovely.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
A second weblog for kilimwomen
Well, mostly because I can't figure out how to use the first one. It's in the hands of Hatice, the very capable young director of the Kilim Women project (www.kilimwomen.com) in a beautiful small village in Central Turkey. (It's called Ortahisar, and if you go to Flickr.com, you can find some amazing photos of this unusual and very special little town.)
Hatice works with the weavers (one is also named Hatice, and the other is Lutfiye) and takes photos of the kilims in progress. But I'd like to tell you all about the project, and about the symbols, and the yarn and the people.
First of all, this is a not-for-profit project, a 501(c)3, and it's real name is Hands on Hips, Inc. (handsonhips.org). Hands on Hips is the translation of one of the oldest symbols, Elebelinde, which represents a woman standing proudly, her hands on her hips, often, but not always, with another little creature (hands also on hip) inside her.
In the coming blogs I'm going to ramble through my knowledge (and speculation) about kilims, what I've learned from my reading on the subject, and what I've surmised from my studies in anthropology, namely culture history. I'll go where wise men never tread and argue with the experts about some of these issues. For instance, as far as I can tell, there's no absolute proof that the Navajo weavers of North America used the traditional weaving style of the Mongolians and Turks, but I don't see how it can be otherwise. Some say that weaving requires diagonals and that's the explanation for any similarities.
There are some experts who say that traditional kilims originated in Anatolia, but fragments have been found near the Gobi Desert, dating thousands of years ago, so I shall blithely disregard their opinions as well.
But, for the most part, I'll be talking about the weavers and the yarn and the symbols of this little Fair Trade project I started around 1997. (You can see a photo essay of the whole story at www.kilimwomen.com)
And, until I figure out how to put photos up on this site, I'll provide you with links to the kilims (or the symbols) I'll be discussing.
If you want to receive a newsletter that notifies you when I've posted a new kilim for you to look at (and buy for someone you love and respect), let me know. You can email me from the kilimwomen site. (Probably from this blog, too, but today's my first day on betablogger.com so I won't attempt to set that up from here.)
Welcome to both of the kilimwomen weblogs. Wish me luck.
Hatice works with the weavers (one is also named Hatice, and the other is Lutfiye) and takes photos of the kilims in progress. But I'd like to tell you all about the project, and about the symbols, and the yarn and the people.
First of all, this is a not-for-profit project, a 501(c)3, and it's real name is Hands on Hips, Inc. (handsonhips.org). Hands on Hips is the translation of one of the oldest symbols, Elebelinde, which represents a woman standing proudly, her hands on her hips, often, but not always, with another little creature (hands also on hip) inside her.
In the coming blogs I'm going to ramble through my knowledge (and speculation) about kilims, what I've learned from my reading on the subject, and what I've surmised from my studies in anthropology, namely culture history. I'll go where wise men never tread and argue with the experts about some of these issues. For instance, as far as I can tell, there's no absolute proof that the Navajo weavers of North America used the traditional weaving style of the Mongolians and Turks, but I don't see how it can be otherwise. Some say that weaving requires diagonals and that's the explanation for any similarities.
There are some experts who say that traditional kilims originated in Anatolia, but fragments have been found near the Gobi Desert, dating thousands of years ago, so I shall blithely disregard their opinions as well.
But, for the most part, I'll be talking about the weavers and the yarn and the symbols of this little Fair Trade project I started around 1997. (You can see a photo essay of the whole story at www.kilimwomen.com)
And, until I figure out how to put photos up on this site, I'll provide you with links to the kilims (or the symbols) I'll be discussing.
If you want to receive a newsletter that notifies you when I've posted a new kilim for you to look at (and buy for someone you love and respect), let me know. You can email me from the kilimwomen site. (Probably from this blog, too, but today's my first day on betablogger.com so I won't attempt to set that up from here.)
Welcome to both of the kilimwomen weblogs. Wish me luck.
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