Thread and Fire: Textiles and Jewellery from the Isles of Indonesia and Timor, Linda S. McIntosh

In Thread and Fire, the cloth of the Indonesian archipelago is treated as both fabric and flame—threads ignite in the collision of craft, trade and ornament. Across over 344 pages, the author guides the reader through textiles and jewellery from the isles of Indonesia and Timor, emphasising not just surface beauty but the social life of objects: awarded and exchanged, worn and hidden, traded and valued. The journey ranges from Sumatra to Bali, Borneo to the eastern reaches of Timor, illustrating how hand‑woven cloth and jewellery fashioned from gold, silver, shell, beads and imported thread stand as markers of prestige, identity and movement.

What elevates this volume for a textile‑attuned reader is the way in which materials and technique are given centre‑stage. The ribbons of warp‑faced bands, the glint of filigree bracelets, the layered dye in cloth, the echoes of Indian and Chinese patterning in island weave—all become part of a constellation that ties the material to movement: maritime trade, ceremonies, gift‑exchange, colonial encounter. It is a celebration of maker and material, of cloth that carries memory, and jewellery that carries meaning. The format and photography allow the reader to pause on the intricacies—the couched gold threads, the mirror‑inlaid borders of skirts, the way ornament is sewn into cloth—not simply admire but consider and learn.

About the Author
Linda S. McIntosh is a textile scholar with a deep engagement in Southeast Asian material cultures—specifically the hand‑woven cloths and jewellery traditions of island archipelagos. Her academic background spans textile studies, anthropology and art history, and her writing and curatorial work have focused on how cloth and ornament become carriers of identity, trade‑routes and cultural exchange.

Publication date: 2022
Publisher: River Books
Pages: 344
ISBN: 9786164510357