Wovensouls acquires a museum quality collection of Tampan ship cloths

July 26, 2013 - PRLog -- The Wovensouls Gallery has recently acquired a collection of antique Tampan ship cloths - a category of textile art that is extinct.

Weaving ceased in Lampung at the end of the 19th century. This fact would be tragic even if we were speaking of some other geography.

But once we see the weavings of Lampung,  the tragedy assumes a far greater significance.

The textiles woven here are some of the most beautiful ones ever woven.

From the perspective of color. From the perspective of weave. And from the perspective of the drawing & the mysterious iconography.

The tradition of burying important cloths in the grave and the traditional rituals necessitating use throughout its lifetime,  result in the vacuum of pre-19th century Indonesian textiles in the world today. Of all the textiles in Lampung, the Tampans were at the heart of rituals and used as integral elements of ceremonies during births, deaths, weddings etc. And through usage, they were subjected to wear and tear, that made it hard for most to survive.

Further, legend has it that the tsunami following the Krakatau eruption led to widespread devastation that also caused these weaving skills to die out. And so we have very few surviving pieces.

The beauty of thes pieces equals their enigma - with the stories of boats, men and stories woven into them.

For more details visit wovensouls.com