Murray (left) and Ong with a copy of Murray’s book on Textiles of Indonesia.
KUCHING (Nov 27): The importance of textile is as a repository of culture, said independent researcher, collector and private dealer of Asian and tribal art Thomas Murray.
He said whether people agree or disagree on whether patterns on a particular piece of textile carry meaning or not, the weaving of textiles such as the Iban ‘pua kumbu’ have meanings behind them.
“The fact is, weaving does have meaning – there’s no doubt about that.
“It is the importance of carrying it forward through a culture that is crucial,” he said at the Cultural Collections, Conservation & Education Talk organised by the Asean Handicraft Promotion and Development Association (AHPADA) here today.
In his talk, Murray, who is based in California, USA, spoke of his experience with Sarawak’s textiles including his first sight of the ‘pua kumbu’ in 1976 when he was visiting a friend who had hung the Iban hand-woven textile at his home.
“I was so impressed and mind-blown by the patterns and the designs of the ‘pua kumbu’ as the patterns were of psychedelic themes.
“I wondered how these fantastic patterns came about and the idea of the ‘ikat’ technique to make these textiles. It seemed impossibly difficult to make these extraordinary beautiful patterns,” he recalled.
Murray showing a slide of one of his ‘pua kumbu’ collection.
He said he arrived in Sarawak in 1981 where he visited Baram, Kuching and even Kapit and chanced upon some antique textiles which he did not hesitate to purchase.
“I brought these pieces to a museum in Switzerland and showed it to my friend who said these were the best textiles from Borneo they had ever seen and that they must have it for the museum.
“The amazing thing is 40 years later, I am still able to go to the drawer of the textile (at the museum). The elements and design of the textile were very interesting,” said the author and lecturer.
Murray also commended AHPADA president Edric Ong for his tireless efforts in keeping the craft traditions alive.
“I met Edric 35 years ago and he’s been a tireless advocate in carrying these messages forward.
“The motivation for weaving of textiles changes over the years and he has been a force trying to find a way of promoting the traditional textiles through fashion, home decoration and so on, while at the same time keeping the art of weaving alive. That is to be celebrated,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ong said the talk, which also featured four other speakers namely David McLanahan and Kristal Hale from the United States as well as Brenda Crabtree and Connie Watts from Canada, was an opportunity for these international guests to share their views on collections, conservation and education with AHPADA members.