"The quilters start at one of the corners of the sari and work
their way around it, usually in a counterclockwise direction. They fix patches made from the family's old clothing to the sari with a
running back stitch that eventually covers the entire quilt, both
patchwork top and sari bottom. Some quilters create small, close-spaced
stitches, others spread them further apart. The stitches exhibit a
distinctive rhythm that is part of the individual quilter's visual
signature."
~Professor Henry Drewal
There is color and life in these textiles and a lot of heart. What I was intrigued by most was the manner in which the Siddi quilts are constructed. The idea of starting in one corner and working around the outside to the inside in a sort of rectangular spiral, if you will. That was the impetus for my earring design.
The spiral is such an ancient symbol. It is representative of the cycles of birth, life and death, which is a fitting image for these quilts. They are often given to babies in their cribs and I suspect that they are carried for comfort all the days of their lives. The way they spiral the winding path of fabric patches is quite like a tactile labyrinth. Labyrinths are sacred spaces slowing down time in the meditative act of walking one. I imagine that the stitches in these quilts are like one foot in front of the other, slowing time down, focusing on the change that comes with building the textile, living a life. Walking a labyrinth is a metaphor
for life—the path shifts in unexpected ways, sometimes diverting you
from your goal, but ultimately leading you to the center. Unlike a maze,
there are no dead-ends and you can't get lost.
I limited myself to a single, continuous piece of wire, much like the threads that are woven in the blankets. I tried adding some simple color with tiny beads and textiles in the form of some sari silk. But they seemed too fussy. So I opted to leave them plain.
As I was creating these I sought out some appropriate background music and opened up my Pandora channel for Cirque du Soleil music. I really like the haunting melodies, the ethereal voices and the "cirquish" nonsensical lyrics with a world-beat sort of vibe. Listening to such music helps me get into a flow. I hit upon some
Adiemus on the channel that at once had a Celtic and African vibe to it (you might recognize their musical style from the movie Avatar). I could imagine the joyful rhythms being hummed as the Siddi women worked on a community quilt. The distinctive rhythms of their stitching echoing in the song of life.
These earrings are quite long, about 2 1/2-3" each, yet extremely lightweight. Their continuous form is like the road that each of us is on. We may not know what the journey ahead will give to us, but there is a definite beginning and and ending, with plenty of twists and turns in between to keep things interesting. I call these
Life Labyrinth earrings, and each pair, just like each one of our journeys, is different.
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