This week conserving and cataloguing the textile collection started in the studio.
Over the past few months a friend has been working to research the collection items and that has been a Very Useful Thing. That research has been added to the website under the “Textile collection” link and it is filling up nicely.
Now we have a new volunteer to help catalogue the collection so that we can easily find items and so that we have a database that we can use for research purposes. Together the two activities – researching and cataloguing – will give us a good overview of what is in the collection and its personal history as well as general research to inform the piece. It is fantastic to have this. Thank you to the volunteers who have undertaken this work.
One of the interesting things that happens when looking at an item closely is that details that are not obvious in photographs or from cursory examination come to light. That is what has happened this week. A Nigerian masquerade costume has revealed a little secret about its construction.
The costume is made of cotton strips, rope, wool and string, and it has a wooden mask to conceal the dancer who would have worn it as part of a ceremonial festival. This link is to a Wikipedia entry about such events and this one is to a costume very similar to that in the collection. Unfortunately there is no provenance for the piece in the studio. If anyone has information to share please send it in.
Poring over the costume it is possible to see the tightly-rolled coils of cloth and the stitching that binds these rolls in patterns to a pink backcloth. The whole was then stitched onto hessian, presumably for strength because these costumes are worn while the wearer dances and tumbles. The mask is made from a very light wood that is quite fragile so extreme care has to be taken when handling the piece and it was while examining the stitching of the piece that a small detail was revealed. Each of the rolls is actually made up of a wooden core over which is bound the cotton strip. The wood is very fibrous but not like raffia or sisal. It seems to be some sort of vine or bendy branchlet and in places that wood has poked through the fabric, making it very easy to see and inspect.
One day, we may be able to send a small sample off to a lab to get the wood analysed. That will tell us where the wood came from and probably, the costume too. It may even reveal the approximate age of the piece. A fascinating detail to find on one of the treasures in the textile collection. Until that day though, the costume is carefully wrapped and stored on the shelves of the studio collection room.
