Collectors of Southeast Asian textiles will have the chance to learn more about the significance and symbolism of such traditional cloths in a changing world.
Kuala Lumpur-based French collector Marie Tseng (pic) will talk about Sumba Ikat: New Trends in a lecture at 4pm on Saturday at the National Textile Museum in KL being organised by the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society, West Malaysia Chapter.
In her lecture, Tseng will explain how Southeast Asia produces some of the most exquisite textiles in the world, among which are ikats. Ikat means to “tie” or “knot” in Malay and Indonesian.
“The quality of the ‘ikat’ produced in this region is so great that the word ikat is now used worldwide to describe all textiles made using this technique of tie-dying the warp or weft threads [and sometimes both] before weaving the cloth,” says the passionate collector who used to be based in Indonesia for many years.
Tseng who is married to a Taiwanese, curated the exhibition entitled Sacred Ikat: From Heirloom to Trade at the National Textile Museum in 2011. She co-authored the book Sacred Ikat: From Heirloom to Trade, published by Jabatan Museum Malaysia in conjunction with the exhibition.
Besides Indonesia and Malaysia, Tseng has also lived around the world including France, Taiwan, the UK, the Netherlands, Brazil and
Singapore. Together with her husband, Tseng started collecting objects and paintings, to remember the places they have stayed and the people they met.
In Jakarta, Tseng was an active member of the Indonesian Heritage Society, a group dedicated to researching and spreading knowledge about the many aspects of Indonesian culture. It is during this period that Tseng started collecting textiles, and jewellery from Sumba.
“Young weavers in Sumba are perpetuating the art of ikat weaving, preserving traditions, and adapting to modernity,” Tseng points out.
“The traditional motifs are evolving and new ones are being created, but most importantly traditional techniques and the use of natural dyes is being perpetuated.”
Quoting from the book by Jill Forshee entitled Between the Folds: Stories of Cloth, Lives and Travels from Sumba, Tseng highlights how modernity affects creativity.
“While modern, international influences have had the effect of diminishing the quality and local meaning of [Sumba] textiles in many cases, these same external forces have also stimulated tremendous creativity on the part of East Sumba’s designers, weavers, and traders — producing a revival in cloth production and various transformations in people’s lives.”
In her talk, Tseng will explain the production techniques of Ikat in Sumba and examine how globalisation has affected its production. She will also talk about how the people in Sumba are responding to these new challenges and the future of the ikat and weaving traditions of Sumba.
Since 2003 Tseng has been residing in KL, where, together with Janet Tee, director of the National Textile Museum, she initiated Museum Volunteers Malaysia. The group now has over 150 members including Japanese and French sections. It offers educational programmes for adults and children, tour guide training and guided tour at the national Museum of Kuala Lumpur and the National Textile Museum Kuala Lumpur.
In 2012, she was invited as a speaker for the World Eco Fiber and Textile Forum and curated the Sacred Ikat exhibition at the Sarawak Museum in Kuching.
For details of the lecture, sms the SEACS Hon Secretary at (019) 662 0979. Participants are encouraged to bring Southeast Asian traditional textiles for identification.