Exhibition in Leiden, NL: Textiles from Egypt
REPORT by Monika Auch
01.06. – 30.08.2020

REPORT by ETN member MONIKA AUCH, artist, weaver and coach of QS2

The National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden hosts the exhibition ‘Textiles from Egypt’ with colorful, fragile textile artifacts, including exhibits on loan from international collections. The exhibition tells about the production, use, decoration, materials, techniques and meanings of Egyptian textiles. Showing about 100 rare, exquisite pieces it celebrates the skills and beauty of ancient craftsmanship with a focus on weaving.
On invitation by the National Museum of Antiquities the Dutch QS2 group of textile artists and their coach, Monika Auch made contemporary work, inspired after a visit to the storage of the museum.
The smart design of the presentation places the archeologic finds next to the big scale modern work. The exhibition will - hopefully - be open to the public from June until the end of August.

The Egyptian textiles in Leiden
‘The focus of the exhibition are textiles that were often garments, cherished as precious possessions. Some fabrics were used daily, but others were specially made for burial. The owners expressed part of their identity in their clothing. With these textiles, we literally get close to people from antiquity.
Due to the vulnerability of the material, textiles are rarely displayed. This exhibition  offers a special opportunity to admire the fabrics. The decorated textiles show motifs in which influences from different times and cultures come together. This also applies to the techniques used in the production process. Because textiles were relatively expensive, Egyptians attached great value to them. Wills show that precious fabrics were inherited. Decorated textiles allowed people to show their wealth, both during life and afterwards. Well-to-do people were often buried in several layers of textile, in a way related to mummification during the time of the pharaohs. The deceased wore different tunics, cloaks, hats, shawls, socks and sometimes even trousers. In addition, the body could be wrapped in large decorated pieces of fabric, such as tablecloths, wall hangings, or bedding. From the 4th century BC, various cultural and religious practices mixed with those of Egypt. Decorated Egyptian textiles contain elements from various cultures. Crosses from the Christian tradition were also depicted and biblical scenes were incorporated into the decoration. The story of Joseph, which takes place partly in Egypt, was popular. From the 5th century onwards, weavers decorated textiles with motifs that were originally Hellenistic, but which also allowed biblical interpretations. It is often impossible to tell whether we are dealing with heroes or saints. Faces and eyes were enlarged to cartoon like proportions.’ (source: RMO texts)

Contemporary work on Egyptian themes - the teaching proces
The spark between the QS2 group and the fragile, very appealing textiles was ignited during a visit to the museum’s storage. Personally selected pieces from the collection were the starting points of the creative proces, complimented by expert information from the conservators. In an intensive two-year working period we applied various methods and tools which resulted in highly personal interpretations. The focus was geared on a translation into modern works as opposed to an artful reproduction of historical objects. QS2 made a number of large scale work, using techniques like stitching, dyeing and foraying into non-textile techniques, as well. The works are placed in a striking dialogue with the display of the Egyptian textiles.

Tools and materiality in rituals
As coach to the group I was thrilled when QS2 invited me to join the show. As a weaver, ancient textiles had been a source of inspiration and study before. Serendipitously this coincided with ongoing research into historic weaving, i.e. the development of the standing loom, techniques and connotations of weaving through the ages. This line of enquiry started in the summer of 2019 as ‘Artist in residence’ at KH Messen in Norway. There I studied Viking weavings, especially the RYA technique, visited weaver Kirsti Skinveit and textile artist Kiki Yamamoto in Bergen, restored an old loom, used the authentic linnen warp, worked with dyes and wove several pieces on the old 4-shaft loom, inspired by the colors of Norway and the grand scenery.
Building on this, the Egyptian collection in Leiden sparked two specific ways of enquiry, i.e. about tools and materiality in rituals. 

Weaving stones
Weaving stones are the most humble weaving tools. If archeologists discover two rows of similarly shaped stones, then they know: This is the place where once a loom stood. Weaving stones served to keep an even tension on the warp in upright standing looms. Inspired by an elegantly shaped weaving stone and a partly decayed textile from the Leiden collection I wove a series of five wall panels developing modern fragmentation techniques. Each of the pieces is weighed down by either black clay or glass weaving stones. The clay stones are duplicates of the original weaving stones made by a ceramicist. The glass stones are sandblasted and prepared in cooperation with glass studio Van Tetterode in Amsterdam. The warps are mainly linnen. 2000 threads stretching over 2000 years, connecting an ancient tradition with contemporary work.

Cherish
The 3D woven sculpture ‘Cherish’ is inspired by the ritual wrapping of deceased humans and animals. The ancient ritual wrapping of the dead was the last loving touch, performed with dexterity and the knowledge of how to shape a container and apply a decorative surface pattern. A close study of mummies reveals a variety of beautiful patterns and skills. Additionally, from a weaver’s perspective there are similarities between the choreography of hand weaving and the ritual of wrapping, for example the process of making a warp and the back and forth movement of the shuttle. Extending this comparison between constructing a mummie and weaving towards the visual aspect it is easy to observe, that the outer layer of a mummie corresponds to weaving patterns, for example a twill. ‘Cherish’ consists of two layers, woven with paper threads, some of it Shifu, i.e. Japanese handmade paper. Paper is a material that is both ephemeral and very hard to work with, it makes the weaving process slow and contemplative.
‘Cherish’ was woven in January 2020, shortly before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the touch of a fellow human as a last comfort has gained a new, sad connotation as a prohibited and even dangerous gesture. What will cherishing and nurturing without touching be?

More information on the work of Monika Auch: www.weeflab.com and https://www.qs2textielgroep.nl

More infomration in the National Museum of Antiquities: https://www.rmo.nl/en/