Course Contents

• Islamic Art and Textiles: 7th to 10th century, Umayyads dynasty • The art of Tiraz making. • Mamluk Textiles • 15th century: Turkish Ottoman Textiles: Guilds, designs and motifs; Court textiles via references from paintings; Ottoman army textiles; Rugs and Carpets • 16th century: Safavid Textiles: Court and guilds; Carpets and kilims • 18th century: Textiles of Qajar, Iran (Persian): Patterns and motifs; Kirman shawls; Embroidery; Carpets • Chinese and Japanese Textiles • Textiles of the Sub-continent: Indian Textiles (Bhimbteka, Buddhist, Ajanta), Organic sources of fibre, Weaving, Dyeing and printing methods, Draping and sewing • Islamic and Indian motifs: contrast and differences: Non-figurative art, Symbolism, Geometric Islamic styles, Indian narrative art: printing and embroidery e.g: Chamba rumals • Mughal Art and Textiles, fashion and clothing • Mughal styles of clothing and fashion; Influences; Fusion of local and Persian styles; Prints and motifs; Textile applications; Contemporary use of motifs • British Raj, colonialism and English Influence • Changing face of the textile and fashion industry with western influence; Industrialization; Modern trends and requirements; Mass production; Machine made textiles preferred over hand-made items. • Contemporary Textile Designers in Pakistan • Local designers; Colour palettes; Patterns and motifs; Outlets; Boutiques; Fashion houses; Clothing and embellishment

Course Synopsis

• The major monuments and masterpieces of world painting, sculpture, and architecture will be studied as examples of humankind’s achievements in the visual arts. Their influences on Fashion and Textile Industry. • While changes in form, style, and function are emphasized, an attempt is also made to understand the development of unique and continuous traditions of visual imagery of Textile designing throughout world civilization. • Works of art and Textile are placed in their intellectual, historical, cultural, or more purely artistic settings in an effort to indicate the origins of their specific achievements. • The Courses focuses on broad regional and chronological categories of the evolution of Textile Design • Islamic Art: This course surveys the art and architecture of the Islamic world particularly from 1100–1500. In that period, political fragmentation into multiple principalities challenged a deeply rooted ideology of unity of the Islamic world. The courts of the various principalities competed not only in politics, but also in the patronage of architectural projects and of arts such as textiles, ceramics, woodwork, and the arts of the book. • While focusing on the central Islamic lands, we will consider regional traditions from Spain to India and the importance for the arts of contacts with China and the West. • Examines important manifestations of dress and its context in a selection of world cultures. The historical range spans two millennia, and the settings include nomadic societies, rural communities and urban court and merchant groups. • Strong emphasis is placed on the impact of such issues as religious/symbolic beliefs, ideas of gender, and the transmission of design and technology. • Aspects of material culture will be included, particularly in the development of the dress typologies, the conditions for lifestyles, textile production, and their artifacts. • Emphasis will be placed on examples typically encountered in collections of museums and other cultural institutions.

Course Learning Outcomes

Students will know about: • The leadership role of museums in the history of style and taste; how museums collect, conserve and interpret objects; public expectations of museums today; trends that influence professional thinking and practice; and the use of modern technology in collections management and exhibition planning are covered. • Simple Textile conservation treatments for historic textiles, costume, and accessories materials covered, including recognition of signs of deterioration and design basic preventive conservation procedures including documentation, vacuuming, realignment, rolling/folding, stitching (for both repair and mounting), wet and dry cleaning, dye-to-match techniques, and the identification and understanding of problematic materials. • Contemporary Textile Designers in Pakistan: Investigates contextual relationships of textiles in terms of their creation, marketing, and reception. Includes structural and stylistic analysis, as well as biographical research. • Fiber and cloth making are a rich and complex territory. Understanding both historical and contemporary textiles and perspectives invigorates the perceptions on our work. • Connecting with museums, public, and private collections in the region, we will explore fiber and textile objects and their history. Using several themes to guide us, we will look at textiles and fiber as a means of research and response. Experiencing the physical presence of cloth is fundamental, as is comprehending the history, function and context of objects. • Readings, discussions, and research coupled with material studies and studio work form the basis of this class.