The next OATG talk takes place this Thursday, 29 September 2022, so you don’t have long left to register for it!
The speaker is Fiona Kerlogue, who was a lecturer at the University of Jambi in Sumatra and later Deputy Keeper of Anthropology at the Horniman Museum. She is now a Research Associate at SOAS, has published widely on the arts of Southeast Asia . This is sure to be a fascinating talk by an acknowledged expert in her field. Her subject for this particular talk is Translating textiles: The Indonesian collections of Josef Šrogl.
“Museum collections in Europe contain large numbers of textiles brought back from various parts of Asia by travellers and European overseas residents, who collected them in a variety of circumstances, not often recorded in the museum documentation. Family correspondence held in the Náprstek Museum, [National Museum], Prague, from one such collector, Josef Srogl, who was collecting in the Dutch East Indies between 1895 and 1922, was passed to the museum at the same time as much of his collection, providing insights into the journey through which the textiles passed. Many of the perspectives of the collector, information about the available sources, insights into his criteria for selection and his thoughts about the intended uses for the textiles are revealed.” This Zoom talk will take place on Thursday 29 September at 18:30 BST.
It is free for OATG members, but there is a small charge for non-members. You can find more details and register for it here.
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The next World Textile Day event is this Saturday 1 October at Saltford near Bristol. Entry to the exhibition and sale is free, but there is a small charge for attendance at the talks – two on sashiko and one on textile trappings.
These events are always very busy, so you are advised to get there early! Full details of the location and facilities, plus a list of vendors can be found here.
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I really enjoyed reading this beautifully illustrated article by Gino Gonzales from the autumn edition of Arts of Asia. The author, Gino Gonzales, “traces the nuanced evolution of the country’s dress and explores how this reflects the psyche of its people”. The full version of The Philippine Dress: 500 years of Straddling Polarities is now available to read here.
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Many of our members have really missed getting together in person. Next Thursday, 6 October, we have our chance with the long-awaited talk by Maria Wronska-Friend (originally scheduled for April 2020). Maria is currently based in Australia, and we are delighted to be welcoming her to Oxford for this in-person talk. Her subject is Kimono and Sarong: Four centuries of Japanese and Indonesian textile connections.
“The exchange of textiles between Japan and Indonesia was initiated probably in the 17th century by the Dutch traders who, until 1868, had a monopoly in the trade with Japan. As the trade goods used to be dispatched from the ports of Java, at times textiles destined for Indonesian markets were sent to Japan where they became highly treasured goods, incorporated into local dress or used in the tea ceremony. At the same time, at least from the beginning of the 19th century, residents of Java highly treasured Japanese katagami fabrics brought to Batavia as a return cargo from Nagasaki.”
The location for this talk, which begins at 18:30 BST, is the Pauling Centre on Banbury Road, Oxford. It is free for OATG members, but there is a small charge for non-members. You can find more details and register for it here.
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Lovers of Indonesian textiles who are able to visit Switzerland next month are in for a treat. Collector Georges Breguet, who has written recently for our Asian Textiles journal, is exhibiting some of his cloths from the island of Sumba at Vésenaz near Geneva.
The exhibition will open on Saturday 8 October and close on Sunday 23 October – just a short run so don’t delay.
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Also taking place on 8 October is World Textile Day – South of England. The venue is Brockenhurst Hall in Hampshire and as usual there will be an exciting selection of textiles for sale from a variety of different traders.
Entrance is free, but there is a small charge should you wish to attend any of the talks – highly recommended. Click here for further details.
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Finally, another article which I recently read and enjoyed. In this issue of Voices On Central Asia the author, Snezhanna Atanova interviews Ukrainian archaeologist Tatiana Krupa, about What Can Golden Horde Fabrics Tell Us About Histories Of Kazakhstan And Ukraine?
Oxford Asian Textile Group blog 
Thank you very much, dear Colleagues, for your interest in my work!
Archaeological textiles are very informative!