Description
Sacred Textiles of India
Edited by Jasleen Dhamija
“The act of weaving is a powerful act, linked with the rhythms of the human body. The loin loom, also called backstrap loom, used by women throughout the world from ancient times, has one of its warp bars strapped to the waist and the weaver uses her body weight to create the tension. This is linked with prana, the breath or life force. As the weaver inhales the tension is built and the weft is beaten into the warp; as she exhales she lifts the reed creating a shed for throwing the weft thread…
“In the loin loom, patterns are woven in as though they are emerging from the weaver’s very being. The act is like a form of yoga, with controlled breathing and disciplined movement, and the weaver goes into a state of dhyana, meditation, brought about by the continuous rhythm. The woven patterns emerge as a manifestation of introspective concentration…
“It is no wonder that for many a master artist this rhythmic aspect becomes a part of religious expression; weaving becomes a form of prayer…
“Kabir, the mendicant weaver-poet whom we revere, meditated on the Lord while working the warp and weft [pictured]. As he writes,
“I sing with the humming shuttles. I dance with the moving threads, O Lord!”
Sacred Textiles of India, Jasleen Dhamija, Marg, 2014
Hardcover. Minor shelf wear. Very good condition.
