Textile 1 – Exploring Ideas
Part 1: Cultural fusions
Project 1: Interpreting cultural sources
Stage 1: Researching source material
This page contains material collected and sketchbook work during research.
7 November 2014
Visit to Aztec exhibition at the Australian Museum in Sydney. Quoted comments from museum signage.
“This mask reflects Aztec respect for, and identification with, an ancient local culture.”
Teotihuacán mask
Maker unknown, 900 – 1521
Greenstone with obsidian eyes
A warrior holds up the world. Toltec people regarded as ancestors by Aztec.
Atlantean figure
Toltec, 1250 – 1521
Basalt, pigment
Blend of jaguar and human forms. Olmec culture another inspiration to Aztec.
Jaguar sculpture
Olmec, 1200 BCE – 200 CE
Basalt
No original textiles in exhibition, but some interesting techniques in this sash. There is also a slingshot.
Detail of replica eagle warrior costume
Fragment from a school wall
Aztec, 1250 – 1521
Fired clay
Snake-shaped sceptre
Aztec, 1250 – 1521
Stone, turquoise
Stamps
Aztec, 1250 – 1521
Fired clay
Jagtuar skin and ocelot
Sculpture of a conch shell
Aztec, 900 – 1521
Basalt
Sculpture of skulls
Aztec, 1250 – 1521
Basalt
Mictlantecuhtli (god of death)
Aztec, about 1480
Fired clay, stucco
Sculpture of Cihuateotl (divine woman)
Aztec, about 1500s
Basalt
Sculpture of Chalchiuhtlicue (goddess of rivers and lakes)
Aztec, 1250 – 1521
Andesite tuff
Xicahuaztli (sunbeam) sculpture
Aztec, about 1500
Basalt-andesite
Replica ceremonial vessel of Xilonen (goddess of young corn)
Based on an Aztec original of around 1500
Original made from fired clay, pigment
Fragment of a brazier
Origins unknown, about 1300
Fired clay
Sketch at museum – decoration of vessel
15 x 23 cm
pencil on Strathmore toned gray sketch paper, 118 gsm
From pictograms in Codex Ixtlilxochitl
A3
Conte crayon on white cartridge paper, 110gsm
Based on patterning of Emperor’s cloak
A3
Watercolours and collaged paper on white cartridge paper 110 gsm
Funerary urn
Seen at Australian Museum
A3
Conte crayons on pastel paper 100 gsm
Based on patterning on vessel seen at Australian Museum
A3
Various pens on kraft paper
Tissue paper, folded and dipped into blue ink, then mounted on cartridge paper and stamped. A3
Based on the emperors’ cloak
13 November 2014
The original attempt, on the back of the page below, used white crayon as a resist which was totally ineffectual. The red ink is meant to suggest cochineal.
A3 cartidge paper
School house motif drawn in crayon, red ink brushed over.
14 November 2014
Unhappy with the previous day’s attempt, I used the same motif. This time I glued thick string onto cardboard to make a stamp of the design.
A4 cartridge paper stamped with red acrylic paint
15 November 2014
Patterns generated using filters in gimp.
A3 printout of patterns based on a design in the Codex Magliabechiano
Xipe Totec
A3 black and white conte crayon on kraft paper
18 November 2014
I was attempting a colour scheme mentioned during my research, of turquoise, scorpion (a gray orange) and tawny. A disappointing attempt.
Cihuacoatl
A3 conte crayon on pastel paper
Based on Codex Azcatitlan
A3 pen on cartridge paper
From Matrícula de tributos
A3 pen on cartridge paper
From Codex matritensis
A3 Pen, carbothello pencil, collage on cartridge paper
6 December 2014
This experiment stretched over almost two weeks. It started with this mask held at the British Museum.
The Turquoise Mosaics
Mask (human face, possibly representing Xiuhtecuhtli)
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=667486&partId=1
© Trustees of the British Museum
I wove together strips of tissue paper – one piece in dark blues and greens, the other in lights – lightly glued to full sheets of tissue for support. I then used modgepodge to paste on another layer of tissue pieces, and to provide a top coat and integrated surface.
I cut from the darks sheet and glued onto the lights sheet to create the mask image. The result is mounted on A3 pastel paper.
Thinking of my potential duality theme, I used the remnants to create a dark version.
The woven tissue made quite a strong base, which I would be interested to stitch into. When using the modgepodge I had a separate piece of tissue paper underneath – you could call it a sacrificial piece, to catch any glue that worked through. It tore when I removed it, reminding me of the flayed skins of sacrificed victims. Perhaps I’ll return to one of more of these materials later.
Fibres of Being 
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