Not Just Silk

How important were textiles in Central Asian economies historically? How do we know where the pieces were produced? Are there differences in the weaving traditions of Europe, Middle East and Central Asia? And is textile-weaving still as important for Central Asian families?

In Episode #4 “What place do textiles occupy in ancient & modern history of Central Asian communities?” (the last one in the series) we put textiles into a broader regional & historic landscape, exploring their place in societies that weaved, traded and wore them. We wrap up the series with some recommendations for museums and workshops to visit when you hopefully travel to the Central Eurasian countries yourself!

What colours do craftspeople use when weaving textiles and why? What do motifs and aberrations therein tell us about the pieces observed, and how to tell mistakes & variations apart?

In Episode #3 “What can colours & motifs tell us about Central Asian textiles?” (series The world of Central Asian textiles) we look into the visual element of woven pieces in Central Asia: colours & motifs. Victoria also introduces some core concepts she operates in her research – error and variation, and explains why it matters to look into the mistakes that masters occasionally make.

In Episode #2 “How to weave Central Asian pile textiles?” (series The world of Central Asian textiles) Victoria introduces pile textiles – the "3D version" of plain textiles. We discuss what materials Central Asian craftswomen normally use to make pile textiles and what steps are included in the process. I experimented a bit with the background sounds which accompany Victoria's descriptions to facilitate (low-key) immersive experience. Enjoy! 

Textiles are prone to perish more easily than other crafts, which makes them trickier objects to study. At the same time, they constitute a special medium of folk culture and help shed light on the lifestyle of human communities, and their geographic & social environments.

In Episode #1 “What are textiles and why study them?” (series The world of Central Asian textiles) Victoria tells us:

1. what textiles actually are (many people cannot accurately define textiles even in their primary language!), 
2. what they can tell us about the people creating and wearing them, and 
3. what methods of data gathering & analysis exist and are practiced by the researchers of textiles.

Much more perishable items than many other crafts, textiles are tricky objects for archeologists to study. At the same time, they constitute a special medium of folk culture which helps us learn more about human communities, environments they live(d) in, and lifestyles they pursue(d).

This is an intro episode to the first series under Not Just Silk titled "The world of Central Asian textiles". Listen to learn about the topic of the series and guest expert – Victoria Sluka, PhD researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose research focuses on the rate and distribution of design errors in handmade carpets from Central Asia. 

My name is Olesya, and you came across Not Just Silk – a podcast-style project where I explore curious cultural amalgamations and historic heritage from around the Inner Eurasian space.

This is an entry episode explaining the backstory to the project, its format and future workings. I am planning to release each mini-series (which will consist of several episodes exploring a separate topic) once per month. The first series of Not Just Silk, which will go live soon, will look in detail into the production technology & socio-cultural function of Central Asian textiles. I am also working on a website to host supplementary materials like multilingual transcripts, photos and my guests' reading recommendations.