Peter ten Hoopen

In this new study, Peter ten Hoopen reveals levels of virtuosity in the work of Sumbanese textile artists that remained overlooked for over a century of Indonesian textile research. Their richly decorated men’s wraps, hinggi, have commonly been described as symmetric along both axes. But as ten Hoopen’s investigation at Leiden University uncovered, this supposed canon only survived because crucial design elements were overlooked. Sumba’s noble weavers managed to create asymmetry by hiding tiny visual elements that disrupted symmetry and were made to be overlooked. They exploited insights in the way we process visual information by simulating regularity, while deceitfully tying in elements that break it. Ironically, they were so good at hiding these design elements that they remained unnoticed for generations. This virtuosity was a product of Sumba’s competitive culture, suffused by an ancient headhunting ethos and marked by secrecy. As the artists strove to outsmart each other, natural

Ikat Textiles of the Indonesian Archipelago offers a comprehensive overview of the profusion of ikat styles found across Indonesia, and is the first detailed reference book on the subject. Assessing Peter ten Hoopen’s Pusaka Collection from a scholarly point of view, it is worth acknowledging how it illustrates the concept of ‘unity in diversity’, which the young state of Indonesia chose as its motto upon independence. Here, the interwoven-ness of styles from neighbouring island regions matter, as do their marked individuality and idiosyncrasies. Moreover, it allows for the study not just of the people’s finery, but of their everyday clothing. An ironic illustration of the effect of this collecting method comes from Ili Mandiri on Flores. As its dark red bridewealth sarongs have been prized and venerated by the local population, this is what most sophisticated collections have aimed to obtain. The simple but lovely indigo sarongs for everyday use have been almost entirely ignored by co

2F、台客爽、motss、Going、HIV搖頭丸、性愛趴，枷鎖與解放一段千禧年藥物浪潮席捲下的故事 我還清楚地記得每個夜晚我跟不同的人回去，然後每個清晨醒在陌生城市的不同角落。嗯，我就是這樣認識台北的。 ──夏生 電音文化網站「耳朵蟲」主編_RainbowChild──專文導讀 戲劇家、《海洋心情》作者_汪其楣《搖頭花》作者_大D《趴場人間》作者_喀浪──推薦 歷經搖頭丸與性愛派