MTU Cork Library Catalogue

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Textiles : the whole story : uses, meanings, significance / Beverly Gordon.

By: Gordon, Beverly.
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: London : Thames & Hudson, 2011Description: 304 p. : chiefly col. ill. ; 27 cm. + hbk.ISBN: 9780500515662 :; 0500515662.Subject(s): Textile fabrics | Textile fabrics -- Social aspects | Clothing and dress -- Social aspectsDDC classification: 746.1
Contents:
The very fabric of existence : textiles in human consciousness -- Living on the earth : textiles and human survival -- The ties that bind : the social meanings of textiles -- Cloth and temporal power : money, trade, status, and control -- Cloth as communication : expressing meaning, messages, and beauty -- Textiles and the spirit : the sacred, spiritual, and healing significance of cloth.
Summary: Discusses how textiles are an integral part of the human life journey from cradle to grave in a multitude of practical, symbolic and spiritual ways. This title illustrates the many uses of textiles in our everyday lives. It outlines how textiles are a means of communication functional, political and artistic and a metaphor for transcendence.Summary: Discusses how textiles are an integral part of the human life journey from cradle to grave in a multitude of practical, symbolic and spiritual ways. This title illustrates the many uses of textiles in our everyday lives. It outlines how textiles are a means of communication functional, political and artistic and a metaphor for transcendence.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
General Lending MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Library Lending 746.1 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Checked out 23/02/2024 00196491
General Lending MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Library Lending 746.1 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 00196529
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

There are few aspects of our lives--physical, emotional, spiritual--in which thread and fabrics do not play a notable part. Beverly Gordon reminds us memorably and movingly of the powerful significance of fabric throughout human history. Her study of textile art and history is combined with her own hands-on experience: spinning silk from silk- worm cocoons, weaving cloth, and creating natural dyes.



The author bridges past and present from the Stone Age, when humans first learned to make cordage or thread, to twenty-first-century "smart fabrics," which can regulate body temperature or measure the wearer's pulse. Her discussion integrates art, science, history, and anthropology, and she draws on examples from around the globe.



A dazzling array of illustrations includes paintings and photographs of both historic and contemporary textiles and a broad collection of textiles being created, worn, and lived with.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The very fabric of existence : textiles in human consciousness -- Living on the earth : textiles and human survival -- The ties that bind : the social meanings of textiles -- Cloth and temporal power : money, trade, status, and control -- Cloth as communication : expressing meaning, messages, and beauty -- Textiles and the spirit : the sacred, spiritual, and healing significance of cloth.

Discusses how textiles are an integral part of the human life journey from cradle to grave in a multitude of practical, symbolic and spiritual ways. This title illustrates the many uses of textiles in our everyday lives. It outlines how textiles are a means of communication functional, political and artistic and a metaphor for transcendence.

Discusses how textiles are an integral part of the human life journey from cradle to grave in a multitude of practical, symbolic and spiritual ways. This title illustrates the many uses of textiles in our everyday lives. It outlines how textiles are a means of communication functional, political and artistic and a metaphor for transcendence.

CIT Module ARTS 7035 - Core reading.

CIT Module ARTS 8014 - Core reading.

CIT Module ARTS 8017 - Core reading.

CIT Module ARTS 8021 - Core reading.

CIT Module ARTS 8034 - Core reading.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This stunning book leads readers from the Stone Age to the 21st century, while weaving its story from strands of art and craft, history and anthropology, and science and culture. Through six chapters, Gordon (textiles & apparel design, Sch. of Human Ecology, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison) portrays the history of textiles in the context of personal and daily lives, as well as the global aspects of this important commodity. The book's chapters, like "Very Fabric of Existence," cover textiles' importance to human consciousness. Others such as "Living on the Earth" explain the role of textiles in human survival. "The Tie That Binds" highlights the social meaning of textiles; "Cloth and Temporal Power" relates the commercial importance of textiles with regard to money, trade, status, and control; "Cloth as Communication" brings forth the hidden qualities of symbolism, meaning, and messages, as well as the outward display of beauty; and "Textiles & the Spirit" discusses the sacred and spiritual significance of fabric. The photographs relate well to the text and serve as visual cues to the role of textiles in society. VERDICT Not a coffee-table book but a title that speaks to the human experience. An outstanding achievement; highly recommended.-Stephen Allan Patrick, Jonesborough, TN (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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