Weaving technology between past and future
The future stopped being digital a while back and became the present. Now digital art remakes and revives our past.
self-generative cloth #11 by loudsqueak re-imagines ancient patterns
This is one conclusion to be drawn from how innovative animation is helping celebrate and revive ancient skills, and empower women in traditional communities, through a set of works specially created for the National Museum of Singapore.
New Weave presents nine animators and artists from all over the world who have been invited to explore and capture ancient weaving traditions.
One of our favourite of the works on show is the grimly titled ‘The Poisoned Beast of Dead Looms’ by Chong Yan Chuah. It creates a monster to depict the damaging impact of how clothes are often produced, to the detriment of the environment as well as both modern and traditional communities.
The Poisoned Beast of Dead Looms by Chong Yan Chuah creates a monster to represent our way of life
The New Weave exhibits are in part a project that is intended to help save and encourage interest in specific weaving cultures of south-east Asia. Co-curator Steve Lawlor said that the objective was to celebrate the under-appreciated work of weavers, who have highly skilled techniques that go back to ancient times. The new animations showed ‘the beauty and spirit of their craft can transcend the physical materials they work with, into all forms of new media’.
The Grand Tapestry by Sublingua, Submachines depicts a community weaving its dreams together
The project is supported by the Maybank Foundation, which is working to raise economic independence and financial inclusion for women weavers across the region. The weaving is seen as highly sustainable, being both eco-friendly and vital to the structure of many traditional societies.
Using leading animators from many countries puts the issues on a world stage. The reliance entirely on digital art forms also enables the exhibition to side-step the worse effects of coronavirus restrictions. While it has a short physical show at the museum, it can be viewed entirely online.
Silkworm fibre structures inspired Vince Fraser to create Dream Weaver
