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the MAIWA BLOG

Assam: Land of the Golden Silk - Part 2
(Our 2008 visit to Assam in search of three types of silk)



In India it comes from Antheraea mylitta. We've gone with the spelling "Tussar" but you'll also find Tussah, Tusseh, Tasar, Tussore, Tusser etc. Dr. John Feltwell in his book The Story of Silk (1990) tells us that "Tusseh is the Hindustani for shuttle" and suggests that trade in Tussar silk may predate that of Bombyx. Tussar is also found in China, Antheraea peryyni , and Japan Antheraea yamamai . It is sometimes known as oak silk or oak tussar after its favourite food.

The moths are, quite simply, beautiful. They have a 15 cm wingspan and the eye-spots are clear (which is very unusual and hard to show in a photo). These pictures were the first we took in Assam. We enquired into the life cycle of the insect as we keep finding statements about the unsuitability of Tussah for domestication in books and we wanted to know first hand why this was so. For example, in our library we have a thin volume titled simply Silk from Macclesfield, Cheshire, written by Peter Gaddum in 1947. It states:

"In the early part of the season cocoons are collected from the jungle and eggs from the moths that emerge are gummed on long strips of paper, which are then hung on suitable trees, where they hatch quite naturally. A barrier of some sort is coiled around the trunks to prevent the caterpillars from wandering and here they collect when a tree has been stripped of foliage, to be removed to another by the peasants. During the larval stage, which occupies up to seven weeks, guard is kept against the insect's natural enemies such as bats, birds and beetles, and on completion the cocoons are harvested like fruit."

And indeed, this is exactly what we had found when we visited Orissa in 1999.




The cocoons are not like those of other silk moths, they are almost like eggshells and they have a very distinct stem where the cocoon is attached to the branch. The cocoons would be the size of a very small chicken egg, maybe the size of a quail egg. Each one is a slightly different colour depending on what the insect ate. Some are light green, others are yellow, some are grey and others almost white. The dyers among us will appreciate that the shades of the cocoons (the silk) are the result of tannins in the leaves ingested by the larvae.



When we looked into the cultivation of Tussah in Assam we found something a little different from what we found in Orissa ...

Next >>



Wednesday, December 30, 2009 No comments
Assam: Land of the Golden Silk - Part 1
(Our 2008 visit to Assam in search of three types of silk)


Assam is known to many as the world's largest tea growing region and the source of Assam tea. It could have been a pilgrimage for us, but we are committed coffee drinkers. Instead we know Assam as the site of three types of silk.

The silks we are looking for are often called “wild” silks. The term generally separates other moths from Bombyx mori. B. mori is the silkworm that most people think of when they think about silk. After millennia of domestication B. mori lacks the ability to fly, has no fear of humans or predators, and cannot survive outside the domestic environment. The moth has been selectively bred to increase the length and quality of the filament.

We are looking for tussar, eri and Muga. In previous trips to Orissa we have visited sites of tussar (tussah) cultivation. The fibers are naturally a browny-gold colour that sets them apart from most other silks. The colour is tantalizingly close to metalic, especially when the warps are on the loom. In Orissa, fabrics woven from tussar are often calendered by hand with large beaters. This gives the finished fabric more of a sheen. Video showing both the weaving and calendaring of tussar silk fabric in Orissa made its way into Tana Bana: Widom of the Loom.


[Above: tussar silk moths photographed in Orissa]

We are hopeful to see the tussar moths again. We are also looking for eri silk. Even though the eri moth Philosamia cynthia ricini is fully domesticated it is often grouped together with other wild silks. The last type of silk we are tracking is called Muga and among sericultures it is legendary.

We arrived in Kolkata at the end of Diwali. Driving from the airport, the highway median is curtained in fairy lights. In the perenial misty-gloom they add a surreal overtone to the already surreal experience of entering India. We arrive in the dark and before it is light we depart again for Guwahati. We are keen and anxious to begin. Our plane is delayed a short time and we are already worried about loosing the day which we have fully booked with appointments and meetings.

We have elected to drive directly out of Guwahati for Boko. It is the morning of October 30, 2008. We are not certain what if anything made us choose this route. We could have just as easily decided to explore the local markets and try to find some of the silks we were seeking. Perhaps the delay of our plane has made us want to focus on the silk farmers. We didn't go to the markets and for us it was very fortunate. A series of bomb blasts ripped through the markets and for the rest of our visit we felt the shadow of these terrible events.
Next >>

The full story of the Assam portion of this trip appears in the excellent magazine Wild Fibers (Fall 2009).


Sunday, December 27, 2009 No comments

It is early afternoon on the 24th of December. Here in the Maiwa Loft, the rush of our morning meetings is over and we are picking up on some of the excitement going on in the stores below. In a few hours we'll close up and leave to spend time with friends and family. We'd like to share this feeling. We'd like to bottle up the magic and enthusiasm in the air if we could, and distribute it to everyone.

We wish you all success in your journeys. Keep in touch.

Maiwa

Thursday, December 24, 2009 No comments
Introduction

The nature of our work takes us far away from our Vancouver home. But we are enthusiastic travellers, taken by the pleasures of life on the road, by the very real need we feel for research and documentation, by our meetings with extraordinary artisans and cultures, and by the purpose given to our lives by these quests that we have set for ourselves. At times like this we wish we had the ability to speak in the voices of some of the great travel writers. We would like to be able to convey the subtle details of what we have seen; to be able to more fully convey the character of some of the people we have met; and most importantly, to be able to take you the reader along with us.

At the close of 2008 we went on a research trip to India, Cambodia and Mexico. It is always surprising to us how quickly the fruits of our travels are shared. In India we started in Assam with research into Muga and other wild silks. The visit led directly to the natural dye workshop held in February 2009. We also visited the fields and facilities used to farm organic cotton in order to see first-hand where our cotton was from. In Cambodia we met for the first time Mr. Morimoto - who established the Institute for Khmer Traditional Textiles (IKTT) and was a presenter at the 2009 Symposium. In Mexico we laid the groundwork for a group visit. In addition we re-established connections with artisans working with caracol and cochineal. For the first time we visited dyers, weavers and artisans working in the Chiapas region. We were so impressed we could hardly wait to get back.

With the Symposium wrapped up and the year drawing to a close we are preparing a series of posts to share the details of our 2008 trip. Now, a year later, we can see how all the decisions we made on that trip have played out.

Maiwa 2008 Research Trip
(If you start with the first one, they are linked in order.)

Assam: Land of the Golden Silk
Looking for Three Silks
Tussar Silk in Orissa
Tussar Silk in Assam
Eri Silk Orissa
Eri Silk Assam
Eri Silk Assam 2
Eri Silk: Harvest, Spin and Weave
Natural Dyes on Eri Silk





[Above - how many people can you transport with a jeep? Rajasthan.]


Monday, December 21, 2009 No comments
If you're a regular Maiwa customer you may have a couple of theses coupons squirreled away somewhere. If so, this is the last week that you can redeem them on a piece of furniture from Maiwa East. Maiwa East is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10 - 5. Sunday we're open 11 - 5. We've included the original promotion below.


We ran this promotion last year and were very happy with the public's response. Often when people pass through the doors of our showroom/warehouse known as Maiwa East they say. "Ohhh my goodness! I never knew this was here." Hmmm, thought we. How could we change that?

Our solution was the Three Store Special. A little motivation, a little savings, a lot of amazement as more people cross the threshold. Here's the obligatory fine print.

A discount coupon is given out for each $100 spent before taxes at the Maiwa Handprints or Maiwa Supply stores. Coupons are given out at time of purchase only and are not given for amounts less than $100. Coupons are not given for sales made through the Maiwa website.

Coupons may be redeemed for $20 off a furniture purchase greater than $200 made at Maiwa East - 1310 Odlum Dr. Vancouver. Coupons may be collected and used in combination. Coupons will be deducted from price of goods before taxes. Coupons are not valid on discounted or sale items. Coupons are valid for furniture only. No cash value.
Coupons expires December 20, 2009.



Monday, December 14, 2009 No comments
Our reviews of the symposium events concludes with this post on the Wrap Party. Our auctions have become something of a sensation. This year in addition to complete outfits of Maiwa clothing, some great pieces of furniture, collections of dyes and supplies for the budding (or accomplished) artisan, books, and leather bags; we had Qiviuk sweaters from Qiviuk Boutique and shawls from Bappa Biswas's Bai Lou. All in all we had over 30 separate lots up for auction that raised over eleven thousand dollars for the Maiwa Foundation. The auction moves fast, is full of excitement and is a wonderful opportunity to get a great deal or just participate in the magic of an auction.

All sales at the Maiwa store were also donated to the Maiwa Foundation and this raised an additional four thousand dollars. As ever we had the raffle girls: Dani and Sophena who drew lots for a collection of door prizes. It wasn't all about highly motivated fundraising though, we also had a chance to cut some time on the dance floor groovin' to the sounds of Jamie Dale and Midnite Drive.

All too soon the evening was over and we were stacking chairs, and that was the end of the Maiwa Textile Symposium 2009. It was a high water mark for us, the best Symposium ever. Did you attend the event? Comments are welcome.







Friday, December 11, 2009 1 comments
Our latest video podcast just went up.

Part 2 -Presentation, Question & Answer
Ashoke Chatterjee


In part two, Ashoke Chatterjee presents the remainder of his lecture and answers questions from the audience. Part one contained the visiuals and the first part of Mr. Chatterjee's presentation. Part two is audio only. Mr. Chatterjee presented his lecture via satallite from Ahmedabad, India, after he was denied a visa to visit Canada.

From the presentation: "Human life is ultimately nourished and sustained by consumption. Abundance of consumption is no crime, it has in fact been the life blood of much human advance. The real issue is not consumption itself, but its patterns and effects. Consumption patterns today must be changed to advance human development tomorrow. Human development paradigms must aim at enlarging and improving consumer choices, but in ways that promote human life."

The visa denial is still making news. On December 4, 2009, the Vancouver edition of the Globe and Mail (pg A17) ran an opinion piece by Rick Salutin on the conservative government. The story, which claims the conservative government has "a meanness problem" makes specific mention of Ashoke Chatterjees visa denial. Follow the link for the full text of the piece. Rick Salutin Globe and Mail.



For more information on the visa denial as well as the full text of Charllotte Kwon's introduction please see the Maiwa Blog post The Real Barriers to Trade.

When the visa was first denied Maiwa made several attempts to contact the Canadian High Commission. We have not heard a response yet. Here is our formal letter of protest to Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. Comments are welcome.

[The signed original of this letter is also sent on our letterhead via Canada Post]

The Honourable Jason Kenney
Minister of Citizenship,
Immigration and Multiculturalism.


We note from the press releases issued by your office that the government and your office in particular is enthusiastic to encourage trade with India. We are greatly encouraged by this and wish to commend your office for its leadership in this regard.

We have been actively involved in trading with India for over twenty years. We deal with craftspeople and artisans from Kerala to Uttaranchal and from Bengal to Gujarat. India’s craft sector is the second largest employer in the country, second only to agriculture. In terms of a Canadian presence working with Indian artisans, it would be difficult to find an organization that has the scope and depth of presence that Maiwa does.

To give you some background information. Our company, Maiwa, in addition to it’s trade relationship, actively pursues education and promotion of India’s cultures, handcrafts and exceptional artisans. Maiwa mounted an exhibition of Embroidery from India’s Kutch Desert at the Vancouver Museum. The exhibit was held over, broke attendance records, and subsequently travelled internationally. We have produced four feature length documentaries on crafts, all of which feature Indian artisans prominently. Our textile symposium, which runs every second year, is the most comprehensive event of its kind in the world, drawing presenters and participants from Europe, Africa, Asia, as well as North and South America. Maiwa’s reputation in India is considerable. We are known for our commitment, knowledge sharing and ethical practices.

It is this reputation, which permitted us to ask Indian dignitary Ashoke Chatterjee to be a presenter at the 2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium. It was a proud moment for Maiwa, Vancouver, and Canada when he agreed.

It was, however, with considerable embarrassment and disbelief, that we learned that Mr. Chatterjee’s application for a visa to visit Canada had been rejected. Mr. Chatterjee was good enough to provide us with a copy of the rejection and we were appalled. A check mark was made in the box beside the statement:

“I am not satisfied that you have a legitimate business purpose in Canada, and therefore I do not consider you to be a genuine temporary resident who would leave Canada.” (Application U091000177)

We must protest in the strongest possible terms to you, Minister, to your office, and to the corresponding departments managing visa applications in India.

We understand the need to secure the nations borders and the need to maintain control over visa applications. However, the decision is absurd in light of the reputation of Maiwa Handprints Ltd., the Maiwa Textile Symposium and Mr. Chatterjee himself. There exists a very large binder with information substantiating the erroneous nature of the rejection. All criteria stipulated as necessary for a visa application were met. Yet the application was denied. The decision final and not open to appeal.

The rejection has caused considerable financial hardship, yet well above any concerns for our expense is the irreparable harm that has been done to our reputation and trade relations. And we would emphasize, the reputation and trade relations of Canadians. It takes years of groundwork to establish goodwill and corporate equity among our trading partners in India. Canadians are now seen to have offered a thoughtless rejection to an individual whom they (quite rightly) hold in high regard for his tireless work in the craft sector and for his long list of achievements in humanitarian areas.

Mr. Chatterjee’s development experience includes consultancies and training conducted on behalf of the National Institute of Design, National Drinking Water Mission (Govt. of India), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (Govt. of India, New Delhi), Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (Geneva), National AIDS Control Organization (Govt. of India, New Delhi), UNICEF (India and New York), UNFPA (New Delhi), World Conservation Union (IUCN, Geneva), National Conservation Strategy of Pakistan (Islamabad), World Bank (New Delhi), Ford Foundation (New Delhi), Gujarat AIDS Prevention & Control Unit (GAP, Ahmedabad), Centre for Environment Education (Ahmedabad), Department of Health (Government of Gujarat), and on behalf of several NGOs working on health and environmental issues.

We can only assume that this visa rejection was a deeply unfortunate error. In this light we ask your office to make a concerted effort to facilitate the removal of the denial from Mr. Chatterjee’s passport. We also ask that steps be taken to introduce greater access to the visa application process. The unfortunate international consequences of this situation (for Maiwa, Mr. Chatterjee, and our international reputation) could have been avoided if there were a means to contact a visa application officer.

We look forward to a reply from your office.




Saturday, December 05, 2009 No comments
Bhole Khan - Master Blockcutter
October 14, 1948 - November 26, 2009



We are sad to relate the passing of artisan, master craftperson, and friend Bhole Khan last Thursday the 26th of November. All the blocks that we sell in the Maiwa stores come from this family. No journey to India was complete without a visit to his block carving studio in Sanganer. Here, in a simple room that opened onto the street, a symphony of tapping, sawing and sanding would progress throughout the day. Using small hand chisels and wooden mallets, artisans under his direction would create the intricate wooden blocks that are used in the traditional blockprinting of fabric. In an art that is often imitated by the silkscreen process, the talents and skills of artisan block carvers faced an uncertain future. But with renewed interest in traditional techniques the studio flourished. Often his designs were so beautiful that we would commission blocks to be made simply to exist on their own. These were a vibrant reflection of his skill, vision and character.

Bhole Khan is survived by his wife, three sons and three daughters. The family will continue to run the block making studio.



Monday, November 30, 2009 No comments
[Update: Loon Lake is about an hour outside of Vancouver. Directions are here.]

Vancouver Guild of Fibre Arts presents the
Fibres on the Forest Retreat March 29, - April 9, 2010

Its an incredible setting and a great lineup of workshops and instructors. Tall trees, blue water, and peaceful surrounding - Loon Lake Research & Education Centre is the perfect spot to create.

The VGFA also invites you to join them for their 40th anniversary dinner on April 3, 2009 at Loon Lake. Barbara Shelly will be the inspirational speaker.

Follow the links for more information on the retreat, the list of workshops offered, Loon Lake, or the VGFA.



Friday, November 27, 2009 No comments

Anyone who has lost a set of keys probably knows about the TB Vets KeyTag Service. (Add a tag to your ring and if you loose your keys and someone else finds them, they will be mailed back to you). Now the same group has issued a coupon book for Vancouver promoting "Local Savings for Sustainable Living." The coupons are targeted toward organics, restaurants, eco-friendly products, health and fitness, cultural activities, and getaways.

Maiwa has two coupons in the book. The first is for 20% off a one-time clothing purchase, the second is for 20% off a one-time bedding purchase. Is it a good deal? Well the book (which costs $20) could pay for itself with one purchase- leaving you with over 290 other coupons - and the key tag.

The books are available in the Maiwa stores and at a variety of other Vancouver locations.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 No comments

We have just received a shipment at Maiwa East of over 30 DOGAG carpets. The order contains both luxurious pile carpets and incredible flat weaves. All colours on these carpets are from natural dyes and some of the carpets feature a rare violet which is obtained from cold dyeing madder with an iron mordant.

DOBAG is a Turkish anachronym which identifies the Natural Dye Research and Development Project. The project is a women's carpet weaving co-operative that celebrates the traditions of Anatolian weaving.

The seeds of DOBAG were first planted in 1960 with the arrival in Istanbul of a German professor of sciences, Dr. Harald Bohmer. Dr. Bohmer was taken with the richness of the material culture. But while frequenting the carpet bazaars and museum collections, he became aware of a shift in color harmony around the time of industrialization. With the introduction of synthetic dyes and a growing demand for production in the world market, carpets began to lose their natural (plant based) sympathetic color harmony. With the aim of reintroducing natural dyes the DOBAG project was born. More information can be found on the Maiwa web site.

Here are some samples from the new shipment.










Friday, November 20, 2009 No comments
Our latest video podcast just went up.

Part 1 - Introduction & Presentation
Ashoke Chatterjee


In part one Charllotte Kwon introduces Ashoke Chatterjee and explains the application process for a Canadian visa (Mr. Chatterjee, an Indian dignitary with flawless credentials was denied a visa to visit Canada). Ashoke presents the first part of his lecture with visuals via an internet connection to our Vancouver audience.

[Update: The Times of India ran this piece on the 17th of November. For more information on the visa denial as well as the full text of Charllotte Kwon's introduction please see the Maiwa Blog post The Real Barriers to Trade.]

Recorded live at the Maiwa Textile Symposium 2009. This is a video podcast and it contains the images presented during the lecture.

Subscribe in iTunes

Craft may seem timeless - but it is, in fact, tossed on a constantly changing sea of social, political, and economic currents. Few have been able to navigate these waters as skillfully as Ashoke Chatterjee who, among his other achievements, has been the Executive Director of the National Institute of Design (India), and President for many years of the Crafts Council of India.

Mahatma Gandhi dreamed of India’s independence and used localised hand production as a weapon against colonial rule. Later, Gandhi’s legacy helped shape craft development within national planning. But contemporary globalization dreams of market influence, often at the expense of independence. The shift between paradigms has had far-reaching effects for human development in all countries, especially in the craft sector.

Mr. Chatterjee will explore India’s craft experience: the social, economic, and political challenges found in the transition from the independence movement to the present era of so-called “liberalization.” Mr. Chatterjee will draw on governmental and civil society experience and his experience with the current effort by the Craft Council of India to create a national economic survey of the craft sector.

ASHOKE CHATTERJEE

Ashoke Chatterjee’s teaching and training activities have a focus on the management of design in industry and in the social sector. He has worked to guide projects in the areas of communication, health, education, craft regeneration, ecology, and conservation. Following 25 years at the National Institute of Design, he has been involved with institutional development at Shristi School of Design (Bangalore), Indus Valley School of Design and Architecture (Karachi), Royal College of Art (UK), and Kala Raksha Vidyalaya (Bhuj).

Mr. Chatterjee’s development experience includes consultancies and training conducted on behalf of the National Institute of Design, National Drinking Water Mission (Govt. of India), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (Govt. of India, New Delhi), Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (Geneva), National AIDS Control Organization (Govt. of India, New Delhi), UNICEF (India and New York), UNFPA (New Delhi), World Conservation Union (IUCN, Geneva), National Conservation Strategy of Pakistan (Islamabad), World Bank (New Delhi), Ford Foundation (New Delhi), Gujarat AIDS Prevention & Control Unit (GAP, Ahmedabad), Centre for Environment Education (Ahmedabad), Department of Health (Government of Gujarat), and on behalf of several NGOs working on health and environmental issues.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 No comments


During the 2007 symposium one of the highlights was Elizabeth Barber's lecture on the Urumchi mummies. This year we invited Elizabeth back to deliver a lecture based on her very successful book Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years.

The auditorium held a capacity audience and Elizabeth was in top form as she worked through the threads of anthropology, linguistics, archeology and textile science that formed the basis of her lecture. The resulting talk was far ranging, as might be expected when covering such a time span, but also of remarkable depth. Elizabeth is a formidable speaker, often putting the pieces of evidence together like a detective closing a case. After a very energetic question and answer session Elizabeth inscribed some of her books for the audience.

Our last speaker in the 2009 lecture series was Mimi Robinson. She delivered a well illustrated presentation showcasing her work with design students from the Rhode Island School of Design and the collaborations that took place between designers and cultures from Central and South America. After the presentation Mimi was joined on stage by Ann Hudner who led a discussion on Mimi's projects and helped to field questions from the audience.



Monday, November 16, 2009 No comments

Representatives from the Artisans Alliance of Jawaja were invited to Canada to participate in the 2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium. In preparation for that event the group worked with Anitha Balachandran and Siddhartha Chatterjee and India's National Institute of Design (NID) to create a presentation that would help tell the story of Jawaja.

The presentation is now available online as a PDF. It may be downloaded directly here.
Friday, November 13, 2009 No comments
[Update. The presentation is now available online as a PDF. It may be downloaded directly here.]


On Tuesday October 27th, the Artisans Alliance of Jawaja presented their lecture. Because the artisans had been denied visa's to visit Canada the lecture was held via a web connection. For the artisans it was a very early morning. They had to get up long before dawn and make their way to the Ravi J Matthai Centre where a video conferencing system had been set up by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). Our connection was to be established at 6 pm which meant 6:30 am for the artisans.

At 7 we started. Each of the representatives of the Artisan's Alliance of Jawaja stepped close to the camera and introduced himself. Ashoke Chatterjee gave an introduction to the Alliance and summarized the situation facing them. We showed a presentation prepared by Jawaja with assistance from Anitha Balachandran and Siddhartha Chatterjee in conjunction with India's National Institute of Design (NID). (We are presently reformatting this presentation for online distribution.) Once the presentation concluded the members of the Artisan's Alliance - which represents both weavers and leatherworkers - answered questions from the audience.

The questions were very detailed and showed that the audience had both a familiarity with the Jawaja situation and a good understanding of the challenges facing craftspeople throughout the world.

The artisans were impressed to have such a strong show of support for their craft. The highlight of the evening came when the audience were asked "How many of you have Jawaja bags?" Almost every hand went up. "Could you show them?" The camera panned the audience and a sea of waving bags.

The next day we received a letter from Ashoke Chatterjee, which we are pleased to reprint here:

Dear Charllotte, Tim and all at Maiwa:

Thanks to you all for hanging in there, and for making this opportunity possible for the artisans, as well as for me. Despite the inevitable disappointment over the visa fiasco, I think the Jawaja weavers and leather artisans have come out of this experience stronger and more motivated. I think they better understand the respect and regard which they have earned, as well as the responsibilities that have come with that achievement. And also a more practical awareness of the barriers which exist, as well as of the opportunities. The real work starts now!

Siddhartha and Anitha did a wonderful job. This presentation can have a major impact for the artisans in their own communities --- it is the first time they can hold their experience in their hands, so to speak, and share it with others effectively. Siddhartha and Anitha will work out some way to have a Hindi voice-over so that it serves as a 'tool' for advocacy and pride and empowerment. I believe the new generation of artisans will find it particularly significant. I know the Crafts Council can use it in many ways to build a greater awareness of today's craft world as seen from the artisans' perspective. The Craft Revival Trust has a regular lecture series in Delhi, and the presentation may be useful for them as well, and to other development activists outside the crafts. So Maiwa has given us more than just the video-conferencing opportunity!

Hope the Symposium went well, and look forward to learning of its outcome.

With warm regards,

Sincerely, Ashoke

Look for the Jawaja lecture as one of our first podcasts of our new season. We will put a notice up on this blog when we post the Jawaja presentation.

Thursday, November 12, 2009 1 comments

CRACKERJACK 2009 - one of the North Shore's premier fine craft shows, has found a new home at The Music Box and Silk Purse Studio on Bellevue Avenue in West Vancouver.

This year the show will take place on Friday evening November 13, Saturday November 14 and Sunday November 15 and will feature many North Shore artists such as Celia Pickles, Rosalind Aylmer, Bonnie Adie, Maggi Kneer, Anne Marie Andrishak, Sheila Morissette, Leslie McGuffin and Lemonpark. Also furniture and other beautiful accessories have been loaned by Maiwa Handprints and will be for sale.

This very successful fine craft event and sale was begun to promote the work of artists whose creations have found favour with the public, but who do not neccessarily have an established gallery presence. Since the beginning, CRACKERJACK has gained a reputation as THE place to find beautiful and unusual art and craft pieces. This show has attracted growing crowds, forcing the move to a new location.

CRACKERJACK features wearable textiles, jewllery, ceramics, wall hangings and seasonal decorations as well as unusal pieces by hand picked fine craftspeople from B.C.'S lower mainland. Here you will find everything for the discerning collector or the individual seeking that perfect gift.

Please visit on Friday November 13, 7-10 pm for a reception to meet the artists. The sale continues Saturday November 14, 11 am - 6 pm and Sunday November 15, noon - 6 pm at both The Music Box, 1564 Argyle Ave., West Vancouver and next door at the Silk Purse Studio.

For more information please contact Crackerjack@shaw.ca

Monday, November 09, 2009 No comments

On October 25th, Bappa (Bappaditya) Biswas delivered his lecture When we work with Weavers. He described his childhood growing up as the only son in a joint family with the heavy expectation that he would take over the family plantation of tea and pineapple in Bengal. Bappa kept getting away, however, and he made the decision to work with handweavers as part of his formal education in the arts. It was not an easy beginning - the weavers would have to turn down paid work in order to commit to Bappa's project and few were willing to do so. Eventually, Bappa found one weaver who was willing to take that chance - a skilled weaver who had polio when he was young. He could not weave as quickly as the others but he was knowledgeable and willing to experiment.

Bappa now has several families working from their homes. "we must be very careful before we take someone on" he said. "because we commit to providing employment throughout the year." Bappa also gave a short history of the region and explained how weaving communities were formed and migrated. The question and answer session was lively and the audience appreciated the generous spirit and humour which came through in Bappa's talk.


On October 26th Denise Lambert spoke about the revival of Woad by Bleu de Lectoure. This european blue has been found on the shutters of stone farmhouses in the south of France. The paint was centuries old yet it held its colour - retaining a hue that the French know as pastel. It took more than two years working with chemists from the University of Toulouse for the Lamberts to uncover the original fermentation, extraction, and dyeing processes to get blues from the woad plant. In an antiques store one day, fate helped them out: they stumbled upon a notebook that belonged to Napoleon’s chemist.

Denise gave a fast paced lecture that packed a substantial amount of information into her time on stage. After her presentation Denise called Henri up to explain some of the chemistry. He was also able to talk about the incorporation of woad pigment into plastics and other media. The couple appeared completely attired in woad dyed clothing - down to Henri's eyeglass frames.

Friday, November 06, 2009 No comments

Slow clothes are a journey in the making. Tonight we will showcase four compass points on that journey. Each maker that we will feature is in full stride – with one foot in the traditional territory of the past and one foot already placed in the optimistic landscape of the future.

Before we travel through the four quadrants of tonight’s world, let me first introduce you to the ideas behind slow clothes.

Slow clothes are both an objective and a garment. We might call slow clothes "humanist" clothing because of the concern for the people in every stage of production. When we make slow clothes we begin with the source fibers. If it is a wool, fleece, silk or hair we ask what animals provide it. Who are the farmers? How and where is the farming done? What is the relationship of the farmers to the local communities. When we harvest a plant fiber we seek to know how it is grown. It is an eye-opener to do any research into conventional cotton. Equally it is inspirational to visit an organic cotton farmer.

These fibers are transformed into thread. Already they have set themselves apart from other fibers. The human hand can accommodate the unique character of these fibers. In contrast fibers which are processed by machine must meet the demands of the machine. Usually this means only one variety of cotton or silk.

When these fibers are woven or knitted into cloth and garments, once again, the slowness of hand production permits a variety of techniques which are impossible with high speed power looms.

In the cases when the cloth is block printed, stitched, embroidered, appliquéd, tie died, batiked, it becomes more remarkable still. The cloth may become rare and take on a singular beauty through being coloured by a single dye. And so in the end we have a garment which, even though it is commendable as a thing in itself, for it’s design, the cut and detail of its style, is really remarkable because is has a voice and tells the stories of its own making.

It is part of a community of makers, farmers, planters and artisans. IT brings these communities together in a dance of combinations that ends with you. You. Each and every person in the audience tonight. By simply being in this audience you have issued the command that has gone from the designers to the tailors to the sewers to the blockprinters to the maker of dyes, to the farmer of fibers. You are part of something greater than you may ever know.


Maiwa
These garments represent our deep commitment to artisans, hand embellishment and pattern. We believe that these clothes speak of the wisdom of the sensual world.



Bleu de Lectoure
For centuries the French perfected woad blues. They referred to this colour as an “ennoblement” not as a dye, because they believed that the colour ennobled the fabric. Today woad has been revived by the team of Henri and Denise Lambert. The subtle shades of pastel blue are once again living up to their nobel past.



Qiviuk
Hand spun from the downy undercoat of the Arctic musk ox, the knowledge and skill to spin qiviuk exists in the traditional cultures of Peru. A heritage of working with Guanaco, Vicuña, and Alpacca has resulted in a combination of talents that reaches across hemispheres.




Bai Lou
Known since roman times for their unsurpassed skill at spinning and handloom, the artisans of Bengal make weaving a part of each day. As one walks a pathway through the verdant landscape, the sound of flying shuttles comes from every home. Bappa Biswas works alongside artisans to collaborate on the designs of these exquisite pieces.







Monday, November 02, 2009 No comments


October 23rd was the rehearsal. The stylists were styling, the band was rehearsing, the dancers were dancing, the choreographer was guiding, the garments were adjusted ... it was a very busy place. During all this we did a quick set-up and took some photos of the dancers in the Bai Lou outfits. Bappa was there to check everything. The energy was amazing and it was a good indication that we had the makings for the best fashion show yet - the Slow Clothes Fashion Show.










Saturday, October 31, 2009 No comments
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