Mud Mirror And Thread

This book celebrates the diversity of the vast subcontinent by examining little known folk traditions of village and nomad peoples. Drawing upon the traditions of India's half million villages, it helps comprehend the inner logic behind the almost numberless acts of Hindu devotion that occur each day, many of which involve the adornment of homes and altars and the creation of clay vessels and images. They show how, in traditions of embroidery and dress, we can 'read' the complicated ethnic and caste relationships that characterise the societal matrix of the rural peoples. Consequently, the India presented here is village rather than city, local and regional rather than national, peaceful rather than chaotic, spiritual rather than sensational, and despite the vast changes taking place, essentially timeless. The essays in this book are based on field research by leading experts Nora Fisher, Judy Frater, Stephen Huyler, Jyotindra Jain and Vijaya Nagarajan.

This beautifully illustrated volume introduces a little-known but outstanding collection of Asian textiles in the Spencer Museum of Art at teh University of Kansas.

Asian Embroidery Is The Result Of An International Seminar Held By Crafts Council Of India, Which Was Coordinated By The Well-Known Authority On Textiles, Jasleen Dhamija. Writers, Researchers, Professors, Who Have Spent A Life Time Researching In Different Regions Of Asia Came Together To Share Their Know Ledge. Besides Well-Known Subjects As Phulkari, Bagh, The Central Asian Suzani, There Are The Little Known Embroideries Of The Philippines, Of Kyrgyzstan, Of The Chinese Settlers In Indonesia, The Beadwork Of Sarawak. There Is The Brilliant Work Of The Symbolic Significance Of Light And Shining Surfaces And A Broad Sweep Of The Creative Expressions Of Different Regions. The Contributors Are Well- Known Authorities Padma Shri Jagdish Mittal, Prof. Joanne Eicher, Prof. Victoria Rivers, John Gillow, Prof. Shehnaz Ismail, Dr. Judy Frater, Ruby Ghuznavi, Edric Ong And Many Others.

Invented about 13,000 years ago, mud architecture has since been one of the most common, economical, useful, and widespread forms of building. It has been--and is still being--used for grand palaces and temples as well as simple shops and homes. Research conducted over the last several decades has enabled archaeologists and architects to understand how now-ruined, ancient mud structures were originally built. Gus and Ora Van Beek describe mud-construction techniques from Southwest Asia, the Near East, North Africa, Europe, and the United States, paying specific attention to problems involving foundations, wall and roof construction, cooling and heating, water erosion, and earthquake damage. Glorious Mud! is not only the definitive reference work on one of the world's most important forms of architecture but also a powerful study of the human past.

Ethnographic and archaeological records feature a rich body of data suggesting that understandings of the mineral world are in fact both culturally variable and highly diverse. Soils, Stones and Symbols highlights studies from the fields of anthropology, archaeology and philosophy that demonstrate that not all individuals and societies view minerals as commodities to be exploited for economic gain, or as passive objects of disembodied scientific enquiry. In visiting such diverse contexts as contemporary India, colonial-period Australia and prehistoric Europe and the Americas, the papers in this volume demonstrate that in pre-industrial societies, minerals are often symbolically meaningful, ritually powerful, and deeply interwoven into not just economic and material, but also social, cosmological, mythical, spiritual and philosophical aspects of life. In addressing the theme of the mineral world, this book is not only unique within the social and geo-sciences, but also at the forefront of recent attempts to demonstrate the importance of materiality to processes of human cognition and sociality. It draws upon theoretical developments relating to meaning, experience, the body, and material culture to demonstrate that studies of rock art, landscapes, architecture, technology and resource use are all linked through the minerals that constantly surround us and are the focus of our never-ending attempts to understand and transform them.

“Very original...Banes draws on her lifelong interest in found objects and ethnic ornaments... [There are] photos of many of her...necklaces, with diagrammed patterns...unique approach to jewelry design.”—Library Journal. “The results are spectacular...the necklaces become true works of art, not just macram� look-alikes.”—Booklist.

The roots between the Hindu religion and the wider culture are deep and uniquely complex. No study of either ancient or contemporary Indian culture can be undertaken without a clear understanding of Hindu visual arts and their sources in religious belief and practice. Defining what is meant by religion - no such term exists in Sanskrit - and what is understood by Hindu ideals of beauty, Heather Elgood provides the best synthesis and critical study of recent scholarship on the topic. In addition, this book offers critical background information for anyone interested in the social and anthropological roots of artistic creativity, as well as the rites, practices and beliefs of the hundreds of millions of Hindus in the world today.