Materials
embroidery
ICH Materials 160
Publications(Article)
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CENTRAL ASIA CRAFTS SUPPORT ASSOCIATION’S RESOURCE CENTER IN KYRGYZSTAN—KYRGYZ CRAFT HERITAGE SAFEGUARDING: ISSUES AND ACTIVITIESTraditional crafts have long been a part of the traditional nomadic culture of the Kyrgyz people, who have historically lived in close connection with nature. For the Kyrgyz people, the natural world was once seen as an inexhaustible source of raw materials and inspiration for the creation of handicrafts.Year2011NationSouth Korea
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Kalpak, a Traditional Headdress of Kyrgyz Men Drawing the Universe’s EnergyKalpak is the traditional headdress of Kyrgyz men. Symmetrically cut, it is purely made up of white felt, with black or red edges. Craftswomen describe the parts of the kalpak’s structure as fire, water, air, and soil, connecting to one another as north and south and east and west.\n\nThe top of kalpak is called the sun ray, a symbol of life. Tassels are added to the top to symbolize the roots of progeny. Lines and patterns, stitched on white felt, have their own semantic content. The kalpak’s color depends on the person’s age or status. Children often wear kalpak with green edges, the color of grass and leaves. Middle-aged men wear brown kalpaks, a reference to the color of soil and mountains. Young men of marriageable age wear red kalpaks. Very wise people or those known for their leadership and justness wear a white kalpak with white edges.\n\nHolders of traditional knowledge say that kalpak a headwear is not only to protect oneself from sun or rain but also to aid men in drawing energy from the universe. As an important part of the Kyrgyz people’s tradition, one can’t give another person his own kalpak, play with it, throw it up, or put it to the ground. It is treated with utmost respect and is usually presented as a gift to esteemed people and relatives.\n\nTo popularize the national headdress, 5 March is designated as the National Day of Kalpak in Kyrgyzstan. Conventionally on this day, schools have lessons on the kalpak, museums and theaters hold presentations on the historical origins of kalpak, and various flash mobs are organized with the participation of activists of youth movements and students to demonstrate the importance of kalpak in Kyrgyz culture. Consequently, kalpak is very popular among men of different ages, backgrounds, and social belonging. The cultural relevance of kalpak is reinforced by a huge number craftswomen producing it, making it available in all part of Kyrgyzstan.\n\nPhoto 1 : Traditional Kyrgyz kalpak cc by-sa3 Prosopee WikiMedia\nPhoto 2 : Kalpak, traditional headdress of Kyrgyz Men ⓒAigine Cultural Research CenterYear2018NationKyrgyzstan
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Singapore’s New Scheme Pairs Traditional Craftsmen With DesignersThe National Heritage Board of Singapore (NHB) launched an open call for design proposals on 22 July 2021 under its new “Craft X Design” scheme which pairs local traditional craft practitioners with designers or design studios to co-develop and produce new and innovative products using traditional craft techniques and materials.\n\nThe scheme seeks to raise public awareness of local traditional crafts; revitalize and “modernize” the products produced by local traditional craft practitioners; help these practitioners gain access to new markets; and contribute to the long-term sustainability of traditional trades and crafts.\n\nAs part of the scheme, NHB has partnered four local traditional craft practitioners comprising a traditional Chinese lantern-maker; a craftsperson skilled in weaving cases for ketupat (a rice cake wrapped with coconut leaves); a rangoli (a traditional Indian art form involving the creation of a multi-colored floor decoration) artist; and a Peranakan beadwork and embroidery craftsperson.\n\nUnder the open call for design proposals, interested local designers or design studios can attend a workshop conducted by NHB and the four local traditional craft practitioners, and have until 1 October 2021 to prepare and submit their design proposals. Once selected, the successful designers or design studios will have four to five months to work with the local traditional craft practitioners they are paired with to produce a prototype product or a range of products.\n\nThe four local traditional craft practitioners and the successful designers and/or design studios will each receive an honorarium of SGD6,000. Each pair of practitioner and designer can also be reimbursed up to SGD2,000 for materials and/or other costs associated with the production of the prototype product.\n\nThe collaboration will culminate in the production of a prototype product or a range of products from each pair of practitioner and designer/design studio, which would be displayed at a public showcase in April 2022.\n\nThe scheme is part of NHB’s ongoing efforts under Our SG Heritage Plan, Singapore’s first five-year (FY2018-FY2022) masterplan for the heritage and museum sector, to organize public showcases for Singapore’s traditional trades and crafts, and in doing so, to encourage greater public awareness and appreciation of Singapore’s intangible cultural heritage.\n\nTo find out more about Singapore’s “Craft X Design” scheme, please visit: https://go.gov.sg/craftxdesign2021.\n\nPhoto 1 : Mr Jimm Wong, a traditional Chinese lantern-maker © National Heritage Board of Singapore\nPhoto 2 : Ms Vijaya Mohan, a rangoli artist © National Heritage Board of SingaporeYear2021NationSingapore
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Good Practices in Policies and Activities on Safeguarding and Promoting Traditional Crafts for Sustainable Development in Communities: Yurt-Making Craft in the Ysyk-Kol Region of the Kyrgyz RepublicA yurt is a traditional dwelling of many nomadic people, including the Kyrgyz. The yurt consists of a circular wooden frame covered with felt and wrapped with ropes. A standard yurt has a diameter of 6 m, with a total area of 30 m². The average height is up to 3 m, and the diameter of the tündük (the roof of the yurt) can be as wide as 2 m. It is portable and can be easily assembled and dismantled within a short period of time. Yurts are characterized as easily transportable, compact, ecological, and practical. Their use has been a part of Kyrgyz nomadic culture for millennia. Making a yurt is a complex craft in its own right, bringing together almost every other traditional Kyrgyz handicraft, including woodworking, felt-making, weaving, embroidery, mat-making, and many others.Year2023NationKyrgyzstan
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MADE51: UNHCR's Flagship Initiative to Bring Refugees into the Global Artisan Value ChainUNHCR works in 134 countries to protect and support 25.9 million refugees. Within this population is a vast, diverse and talented pool of artisans.\nWhenever refugees flee, they carry with them the traditions, skills, knowledge and craftsmanship that unite and define a people. From the expert leatherworking of the Tuareg in Burkina Faso to the fine embroidery of the Syrians in Lebanon, refugees long to sustain these artistic traditions and participate in the growing global artisan economy. There are opportunities for engagement. The artisan sector, behind the agricultural sector, is the second largest employer in the developing world. International trade in artisan crafts is now valued at over $36 billion per year, with 65% of handicraft exports coming from developing countries.1) This means that with the right support, refugee artisans can hold the keys to self-reliance in their own talented hands.Year2019NationSouth Korea
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Beldemchi Exhibited: From the Making of Women’s Traditional Clothing into a Field of Female CreativityAn exhibition of beldemchi was launched at the Gapar Aitiev Fine Arts Museum in Bishkek on 7 June 2017. The exhibition is still ongoing through the partnership of the Kiyiz Duino Foundation and the Gapar Aitiev Fine Arts Museum, an institution named after one of the first Soviet Kyrgyz artists who became a national artist of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954. The exhibition displays more than forty items collected from state museums and private collections. It represents all regions of the country and various embroidery styles and techniques. The event is a sign of increasing interest in beldemchi in Kyrgyz society; renowned designers are already coming up with unique beldemchi design.\n\nOne of the Kyrgyz ICH elements, beldemchi is a traditional women’s skirt worn over a dress, gown, and sometimes thin coat. Conventionally, women wear their first beldemchi after a severe stress, e.g. first labor or situations demanding warmth. When worn as postpartum clothing, beldemchi helps women correcting their posture. It also gives physical support. Historically, as Kyrgyz people led a nomadic lifestyle in inland continental climate conditions during pre-Soviet times until 1917, beldemchi was an essential part of Kyrgyz women’s traditional apparel.\n\nBeldemchi may be worn daily and in holidays or festive events. It is made up of velvet and silk adorned with embroidery. The embroidery could cover either the whole skirt or its edges. Viewed as a protective amulet against evil eye, jinxes, and other unpleasant troubles, it is also a determinant of a woman’s age, social status, region, and her artistic skills based on the composition, style, and quality of the embroidery since every woman is supposed to know how to make a beldemchi and its embroidery. The main base of beldemchi is a double-leaved swing skirt with wide and thick belt. Beldemchi has several regional differences. In the north where the winter season is cold and long, it is mainly a wraparound flared skirt from warm fabric with a thick band over the belt. In the south, beldemchi is a buttoned front open cut skirt.\n\nThe presentation of beldemchi at the exhibition displays how the making of traditional clothing for women has gradually turned into a field of rich female creativity. Notwithstanding, beldemchi has started to disappear from Kyrgyz everyday life, which may have been caused by the changing views and lifestyle. During the Soviet modernism in the 1960s, wearing beldemchi was a sign of backwardness and provincialism. Soon in the 1970s, it fell into disuse. However, elderly women in rural areas have kept wearing beldemchi until now.\n\nPhoto : Women wearing Beldemchi © Kyiz Duino FundYear2017NationKyrgyzstan
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THE METALLIC THREAD OF MALAY EMBROIDERYHistorically, Malaysia (the Malay Peninsula) was known as the Golden Chersonese, and in the past, Malay populations lived in riverine and coastal settlements, which were some of the most important trading hubs in Southeast Asia. The Malay maritime empire was once a large kingdom, stretching from the coast of Vietnam and Cambodia to Southern Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, Borneo, Sumatra, Riau, Sulawesi, and Southern Philippines. Across the Malay-speaking world, fabrics embellished with gold were for the rich and powerful, such as the ruler of the kingdom. Besides the golden fabric, songket, Malay embroideries were mostly used by nobility and royals. In the fifteenth century, the Melaka Sultanate instituted sumptuary laws governing the types of ornaments and colors for interior and soft furnishings, such as curtain fringes, bolster ends, cushions, prayer mats and other items. Across the Malay world, the numbers of dais, bolsters, and layers of siting mats, were associated with a certain hierarchy, varying across the regions.Year2018NationSouth Korea
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TRADITIONAL EMBROIDERY IN BHUTANBhutan is a small country in the Himalayas roughly the size of Switzerland (38,394 Km) with a population of 817,054. The people of Bhutan are called Drukpas a term that comes from druk (dragon), and Druk Yul (the country of the Dragon) is the name of Bhutan in Dzongkha, the national language.Year2018NationSouth Korea
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TRADITIONAL EMBROIDERY IN MYANMARMandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city and the last stronghold of the ancient Burmese kings, has been considered the country’s cradle of traditional arts and crafts. Shwe chi hto or golden embroidery has been one of the most famous crafts in Mandalay especially during the monarchy period when gold and silver tapestries adorned the kings, queens, ministers, and all the members of the higher class in society.Year2018NationSouth Korea
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Turkmen Embroidery: A Source of InspirationThe decorative and applied art of any country is diverse and multifaceted, remaining a connecting thread between the past and the present, while reflecting the strict adherence of the peoples to the ancient culture of their ancestors. One of the most ancient types of decorative and applied art of the Turkmen people is embroidery, which occupies a special place in the decoration of traditional clothing of both women and men. Embroidery is connected by its theme, symbolism with the ancient history of Turkmenistan, with all the civilizations that have passed through this land.Year2022NationTurkmenistan
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The Art of Embroidery: Subregional Networking on Multinational NominationThe art of embroidery is one of the ancient traditions of applied and decorative arts in Central Asia. The uniqueness and beauty of Central Asian embroidery, the abundance and diversity of its ornaments and techniques testify to the rich traditions of this art. Embroidery is widespread mainly in trade and handicraft cities and large villages along the Silk Roads in Central Asia. Each existing traditional schools have a unique symbol, style and color balance based on local knowledge and social practices.\n\nEmbroidery is common activity among women in Central Asia. Traditionally, women and girls embroider individually and in groups. Embroidery is passed down from generation to generation, mainly from mother to daughter, in the form of master-apprentice schools. Indigenous population in Central Asia wear embroidered items, it serves as a symbol of their devotion to their homeland and culture. It is especially found at craft fairs, festivals, contests, weddings and social festivities.\n\nNetworking on elaboration of the multinational nomination “The Art of Embroidery” in Central Asia was initiated by the NGO “Living Heritage” of Uzbekistan (“Umrboqiy Meros”) in May 2019. Main objectives of the networking were to strengthen collaboration among scholars and artisans in Central Asia and to promote joint safeguarding activities by inventory of traditional schools on art of embroidery in Central Asia.\n\nAd hoc working group has been created, which consisted of representatives from ICH stakeholders (governmental and non-governmental organizations, artisans and scholars) from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Offline and online meetings of the working group were organized from May 2019 to March 2020 on the monthly basis. In every meeting experts exchanged views on current status, development perspectives and safeguarding challenges of the art of embroidery in their countries.\n\nIt has been observed that element is practiced and transmitted almost in all the regions of three countries: Uzbekistan (especially in the centers of artistic embroidery such as Djizak, Fergana, Namangan, Nukus, Nurata, Bukhara, Samarkand, Shakhrisabz, Urgut, Tashkent, as well as other rural areas), Tajikistan(mostly in Dushanbe, Khujand, Kulob, Istaravshan, Bokhtar, Panjakent, Hisar, Gharm, Darvaz, Khorogh, as well as other cities and regional centres) and Kazakhstan (Eastern/Altay, South-Eastern/Almaty and Nothern/Mangystau and since last century in Western parts of the country). Annually, traditional textile festivals in Central Asia are being organized in Kazakhstan (“Korpefest”, “Kazakhstan oneri”, “Altyn sapa”), Uzbekistan (“Atlas Bayrami”, “Silk and Spices”, “Altin Kul”, “Raks Sekhri”, “Boysun Bahori”) and Tajikistan (“Diyori husn”, “Taronai Chakan”, “Idi Atlas”), where many masters from these countries and also from various regions of Central Asia participate and display their handmade art products. This kind of cultural events are proper places for exchanging knowledge and establishing dialogue among societies, groups and individual masters.\n\nThe multinational nomination “Traditional embroidery of Central Asia” was successfully completed and submitted to the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris in March 2020 by the National Commission of Uzbekistan for UNESCO. The nomination will be examined by the ICH Intergovernmental Committee in 2022.\n\nAs follow up activity, following institutional members of the working group became coordinators for ICHCAP/IICAS Survey Project on Silk Roads Handicrafts Workshops, which was started in July 2021: Kazakhstan National Committee for the Safeguarding of the ICH, Institute of Culture and Information of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tajikistan and NGO “Living Heritage” of Uzbekistan.\n\nphoto : © Lutfiya MirzaevaYear2021NationCentral Asia
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TAJIK EMBROIDERYEmbroidery is an ancient decorative and applied art of the Tajiks that is used for decorating dresses and homes. In the Tajik language, embroidery is gulduzi, which is understood as the process of using colorful threads to sew ornaments, flower images, and symbolic drawings on cotton or silk fabrics. Tajik embroidery practitioners are women. Embroidery art masters sew women’s shirts, men’s and women’s national caps, pillows, bedspreads, headscarves, towels, curtains, cradle coverlets, and wall decorations, known locally as suzani.Year2018NationSouth Korea