Textile Society of America
Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings
Date of this Version
2024
Document Type
Presentation
Citation
Textile Society of America 2024 Symposium
Shifts & Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles, November 12-17, 2024, a virtual event
Abstract
Drawing upon the ongoing research endeavors within my doctoral program, this paper articulates a dual objective. Firstly, it undertakes the recognition and systematic delineation of collaborative repositories hosted on social media platforms, which serve to revitalize and perpetuate textile traditions through the curation of oral histories and diverse forms of visiotextual materials. The focal point of this inquiry encompasses social media accounts that reconfigure and contest prevailing heritage narratives by foregrounding hitherto marginalized personal and communal accounts surrounding textiles and fabrics. Functioning as dynamic digital repositories, these accounts subvert conventional heritage discourses by not only archiving and structuring knowledge but also by fostering inclusive, non-hierarchical representations of textile heritage. Emphasizing the intrinsic value of diverse cultural perspectives, they eschew rigid institutional modes of categorization and instead offer nuanced insights into textile practices and techniques that would otherwise risk obsolescence within hegemonic knowledge frameworks. Secondly, this paper proposes a theoretical framework for aggregating and curating the multifaceted content disseminated through these collaborative social media platforms. By conceptualizing an inclusive and participatory digital space, the envisioned methodology seeks to engender a collective repository of technical expertise pertaining to textile practices, enriched through global engagement and contributions. This envisioned omnibus repository emerges as both a vehicle for knowledge dissemination and recognition, as well as a catalyst for the remediation of its contents within a communal sphere.
Included in
Art and Materials Conservation Commons, Art Practice Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Fashion Design Commons, Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Museum Studies Commons
Comments
Published by the Textiles Society of America
Copyright 2024, the author. Used by permission