Textiles that Never Die: a Brief Perspective on the Value of Fabric

Faegheh Shirazi is the author of Islamicate Textiles: Fashion, Fabric, and Ritual and a Professor in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at The University of Texas at Austin, USA. Here, illustrated with her own work, Professor Shirazi discusses the universal scope of textiles and frames it as an important component of cultural studies.

From birth to death, humans directly engage with and create material culture in the form of textiles and clothing. Textile patterns, weave constructions, and loom types combine with yarns and dyes in creating cloth documents commemorating important human moments in the history of a community. Much like words inscribed on the pages of a book, patterns can be used to reference and preserve important events, constituting a repository of information for future generations. Textiles can not only retain and preserve information, they can also serve as inspiration from an archival source for the creation of new patterns, color schemes, and repurposing. New materials, patterns, and innovations contribute to dynamic material cultures, just as language evolves within a continually expanding framework of vocabulary, syntax, and grammatical structure. 

Wall hanging lined with cotton fabric with fringes at the bottom. Ground fabric is a recycled cotton scarf – Scraps of silk fabric are used for patchwork, and embroidery stitches. The inscriptions read:

Persian proverb text on top left (از ما است که بر ما است = It is from us that is upon us)

Persian texts on the right (مهر به ورزیم = give love/ Kindness)

Persian one word on the right (مهر = love/ Kindness)

Size: 14”x19.5”

Created by Faegheh Shirazi 2020

Cloth and clothing, in general, are important components of our cycle of life. Textiles preserve historical values not only in terms of technological advancements, but also histories of colonialism, political and religious affiliations, war, crises, gender and women’s identity, economic and social life, as well as family cultural heritages saved as memorial objects for our lost ones.

Wall hanging lined with cotton fabric. Ground fabric is a recycled white bedding sheet. A variety of discarded scraps of silk and cotton fabrics are used to produce a collage of patchwork with embroidery.  This work contains multiple messages inspired by Middle Eastern politics, Islamic talismanic symbols, poetry and proverbs in Persian.

Persian proverb text on top right (بسا که به روز تو آرزومند است =Maybe she/he wished for your kind of day) 

Top left Part of a Persian couplet ( هر که باشی و به هر جا برسی    آخرین منزل هستی این است = Wherever you are and no matter how much you accomplished, this is your final resting home) [a reference to the cemetery as a final house]

Persian text on the right (مهر به ورزیم = give love/ kindness)

Persian text on the long white banner to the right of the piece makes a sarcastic remark (شاید ما جای دیگر مرده ایم و این جا جهنم ما است = Maybe we died somewhere else, and this place is our hell)

Size: 37”x17.5”
Created by Faegheh Shirazi 2022 

In addition to textiles, a material culture includes aesthetic works such as artistic patchwork and embroidery stitches of various techniques (comprising another identifier defining a region of the world). Other forms of ornamentation, such as beads, buttons, sequins, and mirror and glass pieces can be used to enhance old pieces, creating a new life for old, damaged, or discarded cloth. In its revitalized forms, the textile becomes a new piece of wearable art invoking new perspectives. At times the textile enhancements bring added economic value or reveal a personal expression of its creator with meanings open to interpretations by viewers.

Geometric abstract piece on 100% glazed cotton background, created with recycled and discarded scrap fabrics, enhanced by using straight stitch embroidery technique.

Size:20”x20”

Created by Faegheh Shirazi 2022

Paisley upon paisleys

Inspired by traditional paisley patterns (buteh / buteh jegheh) of Iran and India – The ground fabric is pieced together, and the patchwork fabrics are silk with hand embroidery.

Size: 17”x 18”

Created by Faegheh Shirazi 2020

Faegheh Shirazi

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