Adult Promethea moth Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Scraps of dyed silk gauze found in a neolithic site in Zhejiang Province date from 3600 BCE. Silk fabrics woven in complex patterns were produced in the same region by 2600 BCE. By the time of the Zhou Dynasty, which controlled China from 1046–256 BCE, silk was a well-established industry in China. Chinese people were producing luxury silk fabrics and somehow managed to keep it a well-guarded secret for several thousand years before they began trading with the West.
What exactly is silk, and how did the secret get out of China? Let’s explore the extraordinary properties and history of silk and how this beautiful fabric divided nations, brought wealth and war to people across continents and ultimately transformed the world.
Come and find out and feel free to wear your favourite silk piece or bring it along so we can discuss it.
Dr Marianne Hulsbosch is an independent researcher exploring identity construction in colonial contexts through sartorial means. Some selected publications are: Pointy Shoes and Pith Helmets (2014), Leiden: Brill; Rites of Passage and Rituals in Indonesia; Cross-Dressing in Indonesia; Colonial Influence on the Sarong in Java in J. B. Eicher (Ed.), The Berg Encyclopaedia of World Dress and Fashion (2010) (Vol. 4), Oxford: Berg Fashion Library Ltd. and Asian Material Culture (2009), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. She is also a director of the SoulStitching Studio Sydney, where she conducts textile workshops to raise funds for Women’s Community Shelters NSW.
The last emir of Bukhara, Alim Khan (1880-1944), dressed in a deep-blue silk robe. Photo by Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Cost: Taasa Members $25 Non-members: $35
Light refreshments will be served.
Please make all bookings and payments in advance, via the TAASA website at taasa.org.au
For further information email bookings@taasa.org.au
