Thursday, 8 September 2011
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
What is good: Inscribing Meaning
I have decided to broaden my research to tribal jewellery in general, and have narrowed it down to tribes in Africa. I have done this because I think that the meanings behind tribal jewellery are really interesting and interlink with traditions.
I have got a book out of the library called 'Inscribing meaning, writing and graphic systems in African art'. The images in this book are amazing but don't really directly link to my topic of research, I found it hard to find books on just tribal jewellery. However I can see how this book can link my topic to graphic design, as it focuses on writing and lettering used within African traditions.
WEARING THE WORD: IN SIGHT AND OUT OF SIGHT
There is an interesting section of the book where it describes how African tribes people not only use their bodies to inscribe text but also their jewellery. The idea of inscribing onto an amulet is 'a dialect of concealment and revelation is at work. The very notion of an amulet is rooted in the concept of the secret, because the written inscription is withheld from view.' The thought is that the person wearing the amulet is the holder of the secrets. The signs imprinted on the silver amulet stand for animals and astronomical constellations. The amulets in north and east Africa also often contain talismanic prayer papers.
Mande hunters of Mali attach amulets to their shirts to display their knowledge, skill and expertise in the forest that has been acquired throughout their lifetime. Only the hunter knows the contents of the amulets, and he is the only one to wear the shirt.
I have got a book out of the library called 'Inscribing meaning, writing and graphic systems in African art'. The images in this book are amazing but don't really directly link to my topic of research, I found it hard to find books on just tribal jewellery. However I can see how this book can link my topic to graphic design, as it focuses on writing and lettering used within African traditions.
WEARING THE WORD: IN SIGHT AND OUT OF SIGHT
There is an interesting section of the book where it describes how African tribes people not only use their bodies to inscribe text but also their jewellery. The idea of inscribing onto an amulet is 'a dialect of concealment and revelation is at work. The very notion of an amulet is rooted in the concept of the secret, because the written inscription is withheld from view.' The thought is that the person wearing the amulet is the holder of the secrets. The signs imprinted on the silver amulet stand for animals and astronomical constellations. The amulets in north and east Africa also often contain talismanic prayer papers.
Mande hunters of Mali attach amulets to their shirts to display their knowledge, skill and expertise in the forest that has been acquired throughout their lifetime. Only the hunter knows the contents of the amulets, and he is the only one to wear the shirt.
Monday, 5 September 2011
What is good: Divination
I have managed to find a book on divination called 'The book of fat and fortune'. This book is amazing and goes into detail about the different types of divination. Not only does it describe what each craft is, but it also describes how to do them and includes a brief history.
NUMEROLOGY Numbers govern all things in the universe from the greatest to the smallest.
Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs. Numerology and numerological divination by systems such as isopsephy were popular among early mathematicians, such as Pythagoras, but are no longer considered part of mathematics and are regarded as pseudomathematics by modern scientists.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerology
PALMISTRY
Palmistry or chiromancy (also spelled cheiromancy, Greek kheir (χεῖρ, ός), “hand”; manteia (μαντεία, ας), “divination”), is the art of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm, also known aspalm reading, or chirology. The practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations. Those who practice chiromancy are generally called palmists, palm readers, hand readers, hand analysts, or chirologists.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_reading
RUNES
The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter. The Scandinavian variants are also known asfuthark (or fuþark, derived from their first six letters of the alphabet: F, U, Þ, A, R, and K); the Anglo-Saxon variant is futhorc(due to sound changes undergone in Old English by the same six letters). Runology is the study of the runic alphabets, runic inscriptions, runestones, and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runes
THE CRYSTAL
A crystal ball is a crystal or glass ball believed by some people to aid in the performance of clairvoyance. It is sometimes known as a shew stone. A body of water, either in a container or on the ground, used for this purpose, is called a scrying pool.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_ball
TAROT CARDS
Tarot reading revolves around the belief that the cards can be used to gain insight into the past, current and possible future situations of the subject (or querent), i.e.cartomancy. Some believe they are guided by a spiritual force, while others believe the cards help them tap into a collective unconscious or their own creative,brainstorming subconscious. The divinatory meanings of the cards commonly used today are derived mostly from cartomancer Jean-Baptiste Alliette who was also known as Etteilla.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot_reading
TEA LEAVES
DOWSING
ASTROLOGY
Astrology is the study of celestial bodies interpreted as affecting personality, human affairs, and natural events. The primary astrological bodies are the Sun, Moon, and planets, which are analyzed by their aspects (relative positions to one another), by their placement in 'houses' (spatial divisions of the sky), and their movement through signs of the zodiac.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrology
Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs. Numerology and numerological divination by systems such as isopsephy were popular among early mathematicians, such as Pythagoras, but are no longer considered part of mathematics and are regarded as pseudomathematics by modern scientists.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerology
PALMISTRY
Palmistry or chiromancy (also spelled cheiromancy, Greek kheir (χεῖρ, ός), “hand”; manteia (μαντεία, ας), “divination”), is the art of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm, also known aspalm reading, or chirology. The practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations. Those who practice chiromancy are generally called palmists, palm readers, hand readers, hand analysts, or chirologists.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_reading
RUNES
The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter. The Scandinavian variants are also known asfuthark (or fuþark, derived from their first six letters of the alphabet: F, U, Þ, A, R, and K); the Anglo-Saxon variant is futhorc(due to sound changes undergone in Old English by the same six letters). Runology is the study of the runic alphabets, runic inscriptions, runestones, and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runes
THE CRYSTAL
A crystal ball is a crystal or glass ball believed by some people to aid in the performance of clairvoyance. It is sometimes known as a shew stone. A body of water, either in a container or on the ground, used for this purpose, is called a scrying pool.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_ball
TAROT CARDS
Tarot reading revolves around the belief that the cards can be used to gain insight into the past, current and possible future situations of the subject (or querent), i.e.cartomancy. Some believe they are guided by a spiritual force, while others believe the cards help them tap into a collective unconscious or their own creative,brainstorming subconscious. The divinatory meanings of the cards commonly used today are derived mostly from cartomancer Jean-Baptiste Alliette who was also known as Etteilla.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot_reading
TEA LEAVES
Tasseography (also known as tasseomancy or tassology) is a divination or fortune-telling method that interprets patterns in tealeaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments.
The terms derive from the French word tasse (cup), which in turn derives from the cognate Arabic word tassa, and the Greeksuffixes -graph (writing), -logy (study of), and -mancy (divination).
DOWSING
Radiesthesia is the claimed paranormal or parapsychological ability to detect "radiation" within the human body. According to the theory, all human bodies give off unique or characteristic "radiations" as do all other physical bodies or objects. Such radiations are often termed an "aura".
A practitioner of radiesthesia claims to detect the interplay of these radiations. Thus radiesthesia is cited as the explanation of such phenomena as dowsing by rods andpendulums in order to locate buried substances, diagnose illnesses, and the like. Some radiesthesia practitioners like Israeli mentalist Uri Geller or German astrologer Alexander Rostamí claim that they can help oil companies to find crude petroleum reserves and other natural resources by using paranormal abilities, but this claim has not yet been proven.
Dowsing is a type of divination employed in attempts to locate ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones,oil, gravesites, and many other objects and materials, as well as so-called currents of earth radiation (Ley lines), without the use of scientific apparatus. Dowsing is also known as divining (especially in reference to interpretation of results), doodlebugging (in the US), or (when searching specifically for water) water finding,water witching or water dowsing.
ASTROLOGY
Astrology is the study of celestial bodies interpreted as affecting personality, human affairs, and natural events. The primary astrological bodies are the Sun, Moon, and planets, which are analyzed by their aspects (relative positions to one another), by their placement in 'houses' (spatial divisions of the sky), and their movement through signs of the zodiac.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrology
Sunday, 4 September 2011
What is good: Ear Stretchers
I have found some great information about tribal jewellery and its roots. I had been starting to doubt this subject matter for my main stream of research as it is so broad and I find myself veering away from just ear stretchers but all tribal jewellery in general. I think I am going to look at the concept of jewellery and body modification within certain tribes, I find this extremely interesting and think its great how its currently being used in todays trends. Tribal jewellery is growing in popularity rapidly and I think it is good because it takes influence from different cultures, broadening peoples knowledge of the world. Also everything has a meaning behind it, it is not just worn to 'look good' and to 'follow fashion' it all has a deeper story behind it and I intend to delve further into this subject and find out more about the history behind tribal jewellery and body modification.
Tribal jewelry is representative of a history of cultures with deep spiritual and social significance. Such significance can be seen throughout all tribal jewelry regardless of which part of the world it hails from. It is as old as the ancient civilizations of Africa and as modern as the newest fashion trends of Europe.
Tribal jewelry is representative of a history of cultures with deep spiritual and social significance. Such significance can be seen throughout all tribal jewelry regardless of which part of the world it hails from. It is as old as the ancient civilizations of Africa and as modern as the newest fashion trends of Europe.
Tribal jewelry comes, literally, from all over the world. Although the most notable and most reproduced come from Africa and Native American tribes, tribal jewelry also hails from parts of the Middle East, South America, Russia, and the British Isles. While each region and each tribe had its own particular uses for bracelets and other jewelry, they all had some uses in common like spirituality, social status, and beauty.
While many regions still hold to their roots where the use of jewelry is concerned, many more today wear tribal bangles for beauty and fashion. Ancient designs are made into modern works of art to be used and displayed fashionably in many parts of the world. Whether it is worn to accentuate an outfit or to highlight the beauty of the wrist and arm, tribal bangles are a popular fashion accessory today.
In every ancient civilization where jewelry was part of the culture, bracelets were used in spiritual dances to represent and honor gods and to heighten movement. Socially, bracelets were uses, along with other jewelry, to reveal social status at a glance. Today, tribal bracelets are commonly used by the fashion industry to heighten the beauty of a woman's arms and wrists and to accessorize an outfit.
What is good: Ear Stretchers
I have joined the Tribu Facebook page so that I have access to the discussion boards and can follow any new trends to do with ear stretchers and tribal jewellery. The page is also swarming with peoples opinions and love for tribal jewellery and body modification. This will be a good source of research, although quite biased as the only opinions on here are positive.
This page also featured some amazing pictures which are clearly influenced by tribal body adornment.
Friday, 2 September 2011
What is good: Knitting
Definition
Origin
The word is derived from knot, thought to originate from the Dutch verb knutten, which is similar to the Old English cnyttan, to knot.
One of the earliest known examples of knitting was cotton socks with stranded knit color patterns, found in Egypt from the end of the first millennium AD.[14] Originally a male-only occupation, the first knitting trade guild was started in Paris in 1527.[15] With the invention of the knitting machine, however, knitting "by hand" became a useful but non-essential craft. Similar to quilting, spinning, and needlepoint, knitting became a leisure activity.
Blogs and more information
many contemporary knitters have an interest in blogging about their knitting, patterns, and techniques, or joining a virtual community focused on knitting,[19] such as Ravelry, affectionately known as Rav to fiber-lovers around the world. There are also a number of popular knitting podcasts, such as the Manic Purl Podcast and the Savvy Girls Podcast. Contemporary knitting groups may be referred to in the U.S. as a "Stitch 'N Bitch" where a group of knitters get together to work on projects, discuss patterns, troubleshoot their work and just socialise. In the UK, the term has been "knitting circle" since the early 20th century.
Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can be passed through them. This process eventually results in a final product, often a garment.
Knitting may be done by hand or by machine. There exist numerous styles and methods of hand knitting.
Different yarns and knitting needles may be used to achieve different end products by giving the final piece a different colour, texture, weight, and/or integrity. Using needles of varying sharpness and thickness as well as different varieties of yarn can also change the effect.
Origin
The word is derived from knot, thought to originate from the Dutch verb knutten, which is similar to the Old English cnyttan, to knot.
One of the earliest known examples of knitting was cotton socks with stranded knit color patterns, found in Egypt from the end of the first millennium AD.[14] Originally a male-only occupation, the first knitting trade guild was started in Paris in 1527.[15] With the invention of the knitting machine, however, knitting "by hand" became a useful but non-essential craft. Similar to quilting, spinning, and needlepoint, knitting became a leisure activity.
Blogs and more information
many contemporary knitters have an interest in blogging about their knitting, patterns, and techniques, or joining a virtual community focused on knitting,[19] such as Ravelry, affectionately known as Rav to fiber-lovers around the world. There are also a number of popular knitting podcasts, such as the Manic Purl Podcast and the Savvy Girls Podcast. Contemporary knitting groups may be referred to in the U.S. as a "Stitch 'N Bitch" where a group of knitters get together to work on projects, discuss patterns, troubleshoot their work and just socialise. In the UK, the term has been "knitting circle" since the early 20th century.
What is good: Knitting
I have started to knit using the basic method, it is really easy but leaves quite a bumpy stitch.
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