Saturday, March 17, 2012

Jordan juxtapositions

It is going to take me a while to present my brief but wondrous trip to Jordan, but in looking at my photos from Petra I could not help seeing these Bedu weavings (the simplest, most everyday weavings, some old and worn, used as drop cloths and tent roofs) as somehow reflective of the landscape's drama.

I eagerly photographed both, and they seemed to have a dialogue going back and forth. 
Most of these utilitarian weavings are made with recycled synthetic yarns, not handspun. They inspired me with their straightforward practicality, their obvious role as useful objects.
There is much, much more to come.

4 comments:

Kat Sherwin said...

You've matched those photos up so well - and I absolutely see what you mean by the dialogue. I envy you the trip to Petra.

Indigonightowl said...

Beautiful photo relationships! I can only imagine standing in such a place, which makes me think of infinite time. I think I would just jump out of my skin with excitement and disbelief to actually be seeing those structures and walls. I'm eagerly looking forward to more!

Elizabeth said...

Such beautiful photos, I think it's interesting all the weaving is warp faced. Do they ever do balanced or weft faced pieces? I guess that being warp faced makes them very strong.

Tracy Hudson said...

Hi Elizabeth!
Yes, they're all warp faced because they're woven on ground looms. I've seen some Bedouin weft-faced pieces from Syria in the Doha souk, and in the women's cooperative in Amman they had some as well (I posted photos in the Backstrap Weaving group,) but in Petra I only saw this type.
Many of the weavings were in use on horses or camels as saddle bags, in addition to being tent material, so strong is important.