Shawl (Llklla) 1960 - 1970

Editor: Here we have a *Shawl (Llklla)*, crafted sometime between 1960 and 1970 by an anonymous artist. It’s made of wool, using weaving and other fibre art techniques. The colourful geometric patterns pop against that dark background, yet it all feels surprisingly... grounded. What stories do you think this piece could tell? Curator: Oh, grounded is a perfect word! You see how those vibrant stripes don’t quite scream, they murmur? This isn't just decoration; it’s a language. Think about the hands that wove this, the stories embedded in each thread. What do those triangles evoke for you? Perhaps mountains, or the teeth of some powerful being? Each color sings a song only the weaver truly knows. It's more than art; it's breath, isn't it? Editor: That’s beautiful! Mountains… I hadn’t thought of that. It makes me consider the landscape that might have inspired these patterns. What’s fascinating to me is the imperfection. Those slightly wobbly lines… They feel so human, so real. Do you think that was intentional? Curator: Intentional? Maybe, maybe not. But definitely vital. Perfection can be sterile. These “flaws” are whispers of the maker’s soul, little hiccups of joy or sorrow worked right into the fabric. And aren't we all just gloriously imperfect beings? It makes it even more precious to know this was an act of connection to something larger, that act in itself holding all the beauty. Editor: I love that – “hiccups of joy or sorrow”. It gives so much life to what could easily just be a design. I will never look at textiles the same way again! Curator: Nor should you! It reminds me of an old saying; that art is the soul made visible. Always search for that, beyond the threads, beyond the colors. Find the soul.