Textiles are one of the longest-lasting and most widely enjoyed art forms, as they encompass items that we wear, sleep under or sit on. It’s art that is both functional and meaningful.
They can create the idea of things being woven together, inextricable, or the veil that separates worlds, such as a curtain blocking out sunlight.
Textiles can evoke concepts such as interconnectedness or even serve as a metaphorical veil that separates different realms, akin to a curtain that blocks out sunlight. This might explain why fabric has been employed as a model to illustrate reality itself. Instead of perceiving time and space as distinct entities, we can visualize them as interwoven, forming the very fabric of our universe.
Beverly Gordon, in her work “Textiles: The Whole Story,” states, “Clothes separate the vulnerable human body from the conditions of the outside world, and in doing so absorb the sweat and debris of human existence.” In this way, clothing takes on significance through its styles, functions, purposes and even wear and damage.
Additionally, because many fiber arts are based on binary systems, like knitting, they can be used beyond comfort or aesthetic purposes. For instance, the core rope memory utilized in the Apollo program was crafted from magnets and wires woven together by women, destined for space travel. Similarly, handwoven woolen cloth from a small family-run company in Colombia was used to line the capsule that carried Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon.
So there is the literal fabric of space and time, the one that protects astronauts and encompasses the intricate wiring beneath spacecraft panels. And there’s the scientific version, a 3-D grid of stars, planets and galaxies which dip and stretch the fabric of our universe.
The conceptualization of textiles as a fabric of existence dates back to ancient civilizations. For example, in “The Odyssey,” Penelope unravels her woven tapestry each night to delay her suitors, symbolically reversing the passage of time and granting her husband more time to return. Similarly, in a Lakota tale, an old woman embroidering a robe with porcupine quills faces the end of the world upon completing her work. However, when she turns away, her dog removes the quills, effectively turning back time and preserving existence.
From ancient times to modern society, the methods of textile production have continuously evolved, as have their purposes. The available textiles influence how individuals clothe themselves, carry their possessions, decorate their environment and comprehend the world around them.
Opinion articles express the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the entire Owl staff or of the university as a whole.
