COLORS OF THE HIGHLANDS, APPRECIATION OF TIBETAN RUGS CULTURE

To the present days, Tibetan rugs have remained a less known genre of Himalayan arts & crafts compared to others. In such a culture where production of most arts, devoted to religion are highly governed with strict iconography, rug weaving is among very few archaic crafts that offer weavers freedom of their own creations resulting in its playful and whimsical results. These rugs are characterized by distinctively bold designs and color schemes being employed, providing a stark contrast to its highland arid surroundings. Apart from its aesthetic value, rugs and rugs making have always been an essential part of Tibetan ways of life. They provide much-needed warmth to dwellings in harsh cold weather, hence are ubiquitous to every household and monastery. AKE, our speaker for this month, has collected Tibetan rugs for over two decades and will bring part of his collection to show and share with you stories about these rugs. His talk will cover the basics you need to know to appreciate this less known indigenous crafts i.e. history, production, usage, as well as designs. The talk will also cover some of the Chinese rugs types that are closely related to Tibetan ones. Mr. Thweep Rittinaphakorn (AKE) is an independent scholar whose work focuses mainly on textiles and arts history of mainland Southeast Asia. He is currently a council member of the Siam Society under the Royal Patronage as well as on the committee of Thai Textiles Society. He’s spoken for the Siam Society, Thai Textiles Society, and The Bangkok National Museum Volunteer group, and SACICT on various occasions. AKE is an avid antique textiles enthusiast and collector with more than two decades experience. His research on Shan elites costumes & photographs was presented in 2014 & 2016 at the annual conference of Association of Asian Studies. In 2019 and 2022, he has spoken at the 7th and 8th ASEAN Traditional Textiles Symposiums as well as at the Irrawaddy Literary Festival in Mandalay. His research articles were published in “Textiles Asia Journal” as well as “Arts of Asia” magazine. He is also the author of the book Unseen Burma Early Photography 1862-1962, published by River Books in early 2023.