Following the wax lines in London

Batiks & paintings by Emily Kam Kngwarray

at Tate Modern

My 'Order an Object' laying ready at the V&A East Storehouse

A year ago I read that the overview exhibition of Emily Kam Kngwarray that was shown at NGA would come to the Tate in London. I first was introduced to Kngwarray work by Maria Wronska-Friend. During her book launch of ‘Javanese batik to the world’ she shared about Utopia Batik, the group Emily was part of. In this book there is a nice chapter on this women artist group.

I later saw works of Emily and other Batik makers from Australia in London and in Singapore. I screened a short video ‘Ingkerr Anyent-Antey’ of the group in 2018 during the first Wastra Weekend. The video shows the women batikken and singing. Although the technique was introduced from Java, they completely made their own expression with it. Truly unique, yet universal with the Aboriginal batikmakers community. 

Somehow I only had a chance to go in the very last week of this exhibition, on Tuesday 6 January, and due to extreme weather in the Netherlands almost didn’t make it. We were so stuck that we at one point couldn’t get home anymore, but could get a train out of the country…

I am so so happy I still got to see this exhibition at Tate Modern in London.

Artist Emily Kam Kngwarray making a painting

Close-up of painting by Emily Kam Kngwarray

Detail of early batik by Emily Kam Kngwarray

c. 1977

Detail of batiks by Emily Kam Kngwarray

Made between 1980-1988

Seeing both her batik and painting together gave a wonderful insight on the patterns and their symbolic meaning she used through out her works. The foot prints of the Emu, the lizards, the plant Kam as her name and other edible plants are layered both in wax and paint. The mind maps are filled with movement, showing how Emily not just draw, but her tools danced on the surface. 

'Women's Dreaming - Awely'

Painting by Emily Kam Kngwarray

1990

Overview of exhibition on the work by Emily Kam Kngwarray 

at Tate Modern

Detail of 'Song of the Emu'

Painting by Emily Kam Kngwarray

1991

Batiks & paintings by Emily Kam Kngwarray

at Tate Modern

 

Seeing both her batik and painting together gave a wonderful insight on the patterns and their symbolic meaning she used through out her works. The foot prints of the Emu, the lizards, the plant Kam as her name and other edible plants are layered both in wax and paint. The mind maps are filled with movement, showing how Emily not just draw, but her tools danced on the surface. 

The display of the batiks, in the center, with her paintings around it, was stunning. It is great to see that her batik works are shown with the same care, on the same stage as her paintings. Emily switch to painting because it was taken more serious in the Artworld and it was easier for her to make than Batik. I am glad to see now that they are seen or shown as equal. 

View from the textile table at the V&A East Storehouse

On Wednesday 7 January visited the new V&A East Storehouse. It is a depot with an open structure that is more accessible for anyone to take a closer look at the collection.

From the textile collection I ordered 5 Batik. It is a very easy process to do on the website of the V&A. In the collection database you can add the objects you want to see to an order list and put in a request for an appointment. Do it on time, a month or more in advance to be sure you can see them, it is very popular!

I made a pretty random selection of Batiks, that are connected to my research and projects somehow.

Batik Inventory No: T.112-1975 by Scottish maker Winifred Kennedy Scott

Collection V&A

First batik, Inventory No: T.112-1975, we saw is by Scottish maker Winifred Kennedy Scott from around 1925. Not the Batik I originally requested of her, but lovely regardless. The batik is made on silk, which is falling apart a bit. It has tassels all around, which was common around shawls. The Art Nouveau like design is made in bright colours. Miss Winifred Kennedy Scott was a student of Ann Macbeth at the Glasgow School of Art, 1924-1926. 

Another student of that school was Jessie Marion King (1875 – 1949) was described in 1927 in the Aberdeen Press and Journal as "the pioneer of batik in Great Britain".  She got known for her illustrated children's books including one on Batik. 

Second, Inventory No: 628-1891, with a black&white photo in the database, had a lovely greenish blue, next to red and blue. A lot of craquelé and pretty simple in isen-isen, but with two completely different kepala/borders with tumpals on each side. Nowadays makers who still do these tumpals on each side might do it in different colours, usually black on one side, red on the other, but the motif is the same. On this batik all the motifs were different, even the little stars and red in had rows of tiny birds.

Batik Inventory No: 628-1891 in the online database

Collection V&A

Kepala in red with tumpals on Batik Inventory No: 628-1891

Collection V&A

Kepala in black with tumpals on Batik Inventory No: 628-1891

Collection V&A

Badan of Batik Inventory No: 628-1891

Collection V&A

Next one, inventory No: IS.148-1984, raise many questions. Is it a commercial for their latest line of handkerchief, or is it a special giftwrap with a smart announcement on new upcoming items? The batik only dyed in red, was drawn with wax on the wrong side. I know this, because I recently did the same with a work. Thinking either side is fine to apply the wax, turns out not to be correct. Thinking I blocked both sides well, I still got a kind of stained side, on the side I considered the front… To see this in this work, brought me relieve, and at the same time I felt the maker(s) frustration. The neatest side shows the text in reverse. Still this flawed piece made it into a remarkable museum collection, leaving is to wonder how was this batik used? 

Batik inventory No: IS.148-1984

Collection V&A

Batik inventory No: IS.148-1984

Collection V&A

Batik inventory No: IS.148-1984

Collection V&A

Looked at another Kain Panjang, Inventory No: 626-1891 with colours similar to the first one, but made differently. Not with a canting, but with a stamp. However the lines are very fine, difficult to imagine it is done by cap, or perhaps it can be blockprinted? Interesting mistakes in the pattern reveal it is a wax resist, but cannot figure out yet how it was made. Something to dive in further. Perhaps ask a capmaker to make a cap to create such fine lines, not in the resist, but where the colour comes into the fabric. To see if the motif in red is possible with cap.

Koen looking at Batik Inventory No: 626-1891

at the V&A East Storehouse

Detail of Batik Inventory No: 626-1891

Collection V&A

Last one is a Batik Besurek, Inventory No: S.148-1983. A true classic with the most lovely tiny mended parts. Clearly mended by who ever owned it before it was sold. This batik also has a label. A label I know very well. With rounded letters some info is noted on a white sticker. In the ‘70 and ‘80’s this person collected batiks all over Indonesia, resold them to collectors abroad, who mostly resold it again, also to museums. The short info is so painful, no mention on who owned it, what region the piece was found in, or any other info on how to batik was part of the community it came from. The people selling were happy someone was willing to pay money for their heirlooms. That they later were resold and resold, adding many zero’s to the original price, they never knew. That the batik, maybe houses by them for generations, ended up anonymous and unknown in a depot far away. If I see these labels, my heart breaks a little. The person collecting must have known so much, heard so many stories, but the collectors just wanted to own the batik, not know the batik ~ not really. Pieces together their story will always be incomplete, but knowing how it got lost, helps hopefully to do better. 

 Batik Besurek Inventory No: S.148-1983

Collection V&A

Lovely to experience the ‘Order an Object’ at the new V&A East Storehouse and look at these great pieces, can highly recommend it!

Dutch dress made with Chintz on display at the V&A in London

On Thursday 8 January before heading home, we visited the V&A to look at the Asian collection. 

The display hasn’t changed much from howI remembered, but how I see it know has for sure. Still amazed that Dutch traditional wear influenced by our colonial past, is here on display, for years, and we are still dancing around it, it often seems like. Also interesting that the British put us center, “Look over there!”, while their colonial rule of India made their country wealth.

Anyway, what I wanted to look at were the many chintz they have on display. Big bedcovers/wall hangings, mostly from mid to late 18th century. The chintz from this time have a wax resist in them. Not just to keep the colours clear from the blue during the last step, but as isen-isen, small decorative lines, stripes, flowers, even as drops of wax that you now see in wax prints. 

According to the text sign, “the fine white motifs against a coloured ground were drawn in wax-resisted lines with a simple bamboo pen.” These bamboo pens were depicted by Rouffaer in 1914 in his book ‘The Batik-Art of the Dutch East Indies’. His theory is that the technique of Javanese Batik originates from India. 

The lines in the chintz may be made in wax, but the isen-isen that fill batiks have a different character. They are similar, but not the same. The problem is, we do not have comparisons from the same era. 

In Indonesia batik is believed to be as old as chintz, yet we have no batik pre-dating the very late 18th century. Yet the chintz made for the Indonesian market, are in their design set-up the same as batiks in the early 19th century. Scholars in India think batik influenced chintz, but chintz very well could have influenced batik. It is hard to say. It is a chicken or the egg, but in this case where did the tumpal (triangle on the edges) come from? On chintz for the Indian and European market they are not included. Perhaps a mystery to be solved one day. 

Detail of Chintz showing the fine wax resisted lines

at V&A

Detail of Chintz showing the fine wax resisted lines

at V&A

Detail of Chintz showing the fine wax resisted lines

at V&A

Detail of Chintz showing the fine wax resisted lines

at V&A

Detail of Chintz showing the fine wax resisted lines

at V&A

Knowledge over ignorance*

Decorations for sale for Deepavali

Pop-up sister exhibition of 'Masa depan batik' at aNERDgallery

Sitting in BatikAir for my return flight to Jakarta after a week+ in Singapore. It was absolutely wonderful to be back in this city and meet up with textile friends.

Tony of aNERDgallery put together a lovely weekend to celebrate Batik & my return. I had a full schedule with talks, museum visits, even a depot visit and catching up on the latest projects happing. I will miss a full Saturday celebrating Kebaya in Singapore > go check out the exhibition ‘Gaya Kebaya, 130 years’. Also catch aNERDgallery with Meet the Makers at the Boutique Fair. But of course looking forward to my own workshop making paper sarongs at Erasmus Huis on this Saturday, 17 November.

Tony of aNERDgallery & aNERDstore welcoming the guests

Pop-up sister exhibition of 'Masa depan batik' at aNERDgallery

Hafiz Rashid always dressed stylish in traditional inspired wear

Research workshop at aNERDgallery

Talking about the future of Batik

I arrived a week ago on Thursday. With the MRT, local public transport, I made my way to aNERDstore. Tony of aNERDgallery just got the keys of the place when I was here in 2022, so it was great to see the transformation. I got to hang several pieces of Batik I brought with me from the same makers featured in my exhibition, so by Ibu Ramini, Mbak Eka, Ibu Siti, Mak Sium and Mbak Nurul. In the front of the store Tony has all kinds of items made with textile from mostly Indonesia; clothing, jewellery, bags, scarfs and uncut kains. In the back he does exhibitions and workshops. 

It was so nice to have this little pop-up sister-exhibition of ‘Masa depan Batik’. On Friday we opened with a session talking about the Future of Batik. Wonderful to share a little bit more on the ideas behind the exhibition, the worries about batik and how it is going with the exhibition. 

In the evening we had the Batik Friends Fridate and the batik friends not only turned up, but also shopped! So happy to see the pieces I brought were liked here so much. So much so that Hafiz Rashid who was preparing his tales for the storytelling event had to change it two times since the items he wanted to talk about got sold. 

On Saturday I did the Batik research workshop. I really enjoying giving this workshop, and glad I get to do it two more times on Java. The idea behind the workshop is to work in a more hands-one way with a database. With questions to answer using the digital database of Wereldmuseum  and provided sources, the participants get an introduction in not only how to use the database, but also on why certain things might not work. Of course this is based on my personal experience using these databases and sources. One participant was saying; “That is why I couldn’t found so much!”. Looking forward turning it in a digital version when I return. Read more on the previous workshop here in my post.

On Saturday evening we had the storytelling session. It was so exciting to work with Hafiz Rashid on this. We had a WA call two weeks before I came to share the optional pieces, and because of as Hafiz would call it ~ a happy problem ~ some of the pieces he selected were already sold. While he had to improvise, it was great and well prepared. His stories are local folktales, fairytales if you will and give an interesting dimension to the batiks. It is not necessarily based on the actual story behind the work, but more a reaction to what he sees. I responded to the stories telling a little bit more about the maker with a personal anekdote. I think my favourite was the one of the little mouse-deer Kancil that was surprisingly dark and gruesome. He told it with the batik of Mak Sium on which she depict ‘Roban forest’ which has a darker, mythical undertone. It fitten really well and it made us chuckle. 

I enjoyed having this as a grownup activity, we sometimes forget importance of storytelling, not just of historical facts, but also in a more fun, relax way using old folktales. 

Photo wall at Peranakan Museum

Fun kebaya at the Peranakan Museum

Full set of Nyonya Ware

On Sunday me and Tony went to the Peranakan Museum. It opened up recently after being closed for a while for renovations. The museum is pretty small, but housed in a nice building. The first floor/entrance is all about “What is an peranakan?”. It tries to show a multicultural display of the different peranakan communities, but of course the museum focus on one, the most well-known one, that of the Peranakan Chinese community. In this part of the exhibition are also many photos from the collection. They are displayed covering the walls and on screens you can get more info, or at least the info from the database. 

The other floors show objects related to Peranakan Chinese culture such as ceramics {nyonya ware}, furniture and jewellery, of course to wear there are items that are beaded, batiked, embroidered & laced. 

To my surprise the room displaying batik was divided into ‘Indo-Dutch batik makers’ ~ ‘Peranakan Chinese batik makers’ ~ Pesisir & Principalities’ {Why not Javanese makers?} and ‘Batik as Furnishings’. An even bigger surprise was finding the term Batik Belanda used to describe the batiks with a European influence.

Batik workshops established and run by Indo-European women were in operation from around the mid-19th century into the first decades of the 20th century (before the Japanese occupation of Singapore).

Popularly called "Batik Belanda", the batiks created by these workshops often depicted motifs inspired by Dutch fashion and craft magazines, as well as Christian symbols and scenes from European fairy tales. Other innovations included the introduction of a lace-like border with scalloped edges.

I gave last year a talk at ACM on this topic and it was before the museum re-opened. 

But there is more. 

How can you explain on a sign that Indo-Europeans make batiks with European motifs while the work of an Indonesian maker, of whom we sadly know nothing, is in the same room, from the exactly the same time With A Snow White batik! The batik with Snow White by batik entrepreneur Soediro is classified as a ‘Tiga Negeri’, what? 

Yes, it was a trend, and yes it was European inspired, but stop this racializing narrative on these makers. We need to really re-tell this history and let go of the way it was introduced by Veldhuisen in his book ‘Batik Belanda’. But for now I am happy with a removal of just Batik Belanda of the text sign ;). It was the populair term for imitations from Europe, never before 1993 for the batiks from Java with a European influence in the motifs.     

Eversince the start of my project together with Dido Michielsen on ‘The meaning of the white kebaya’ I was excited to go to Singapore.

In the Peranakan Museum was of course a lovely display of kebayas. One display showcasing different styles had no less than 4 white kebayas, but only 2 would be identified as “European style”. I had already some short chats during the days before, and looking forward continuing them in more depth. A version was also worn in Singapore, it was used by different groups and when it exactly started is still unclear, but already some useful suggestions were made. It will for sure already bring an, I think, new perspective. But first more work on this. For now just enjoying what I got to see.

White kebayas at the Peranakan Museum

Making Rangoli for the celebrations

After opening shop, in the evening we went to see the Deepavali celebrations.

Diwali (English: Deepavali) is the Hindu festival of lights with its variations also celebrated in other Indian religions. It symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance".*

aNERDstore is right next to Little India and the decorations were already everywhere, even actual rangoli (temporary floor decorations) every day in front of the stores. 

The Indian Heritage Center was open for free on Sunday. It has a great display of objects and stories related to the Indian community in Singapore. 

I feel in the Netherlands, or Europe for that matter don’t really have these kind of places and after this week in Singapore I really wonder why… We don’t even have room for other holidays to be actual free days. 

I am not saying that Singapore is perfect, there is also here a lot of “othering” and exclusion, but the ways these different cultures seem to be celebrated is refreshing. 

I guess the “knowledge over ignorance” hits at the core.

On Tuesday I was invited to give a talk at the Eurasian Association. Hafiz came with the suggestion to share my research there and it seemed as an interesting place to raise some of the questions I have regarding how we now tell batik history and specifically the history of the European influence. 

They announced my talk as a Kebaya talk, so because it was mostly batik talk, I wore my new kebaya again. 

In the audience we had apart from the Eurasian society members, also some of the nyonya’s in their colourful kebayas & batiks and many dosens, as in guides for museums. They had by far the most questions afterwards, especially since terms like ‘Batik Belanda’ are specifically taught to them to explain in tours. I loved that one asked; “Sabine, what are you debunking next”. I explained, it is not so much on proving something is not true, it is much more finding a layered story. And yes, something things are just wrong, and we can put them right. One talk at a time.

Group photo after my talk

On Wednesday morning got a tour through the Heritage Conservation Centre, the place where 100,000 artefacts are kept from about 7 museums. From paintings to giant metal sculptures, from old wooden furniture to fashion and everything else and more. I always love seeing a new depot, and in this case, restoration and research center. Sufiyanto who is a restorator there, gave us the tour and shared more on their work and future plans. Exciting batik donation has been added and cannot wait to hear more about it! A morning well spend!

In the evening I was invited for the opening of the new exhibition at ACM. I didn’t manage to see the exhibition, it was very busy. But got a sneak peek of an exhibition instead I was otherwise going to miss. So I returned the next afternoon to ACM. Since I only saw ‘Batik Kita’ last time, three times, I decided to begin at the beginning and just do the whole building. 

I am so happy I did that, because besides great objects, I ran into some batiks & other textiles I have to do continue research on. So basically homework… Patola keep following me this trip. Not the real ones, but the European imitations. Which is great, only now to find time to dive into it more. 

Highlight at ACM is for sure the current fashion exhibition, all the way upstairs, ‘Textile masters to the world, the global desire for Indian cloth’ which shows in a pretty small space how divers this worldwide trend was. The shown pieces are just stunning. 

Also a new book was published of an exhibition of 10 years ago ‘Patterns of Trade, Indian textiles for export’. A dream of a book!

I am back in Jakarta, hope to meet & see you here! Thanks Singapore, and thanks Mas Tony, it was wonderful to be busy together. Cannot wait to return!

Spot the mina bird

London Baby

With this recent visit to London, I noticed how my interests are interwoven with everything I do and how I am so much more aware of our history, and how it is interwoven with everything!
We had the great pleasure of spending some quality time with my lovely niece and artist Surya de Wit and her fiancé. Thanks for having us!
Of course I thought I planned nothing, but I fully planned everything, so our program was filled to the max, hehehe!
It was a wonderful visit and can't wait to go there again! Till next time London!

Day 1

In the Underground

Our first full day, after arriving the evening before, started with a visit to the Alfies Antique Market. If you haven't been, it is a real treat for the eyes {and great pie btw}! I finally got the chance to meet Duncan Clarke and see his wonderful collection of Adire African Textiles.

We wondered through the rooms, looking at all the blingbling, fabrics and vintage, and seeing the tiniest cutest dog in the world, after continuing our day at the British Museum.

Blingbling at Alfies Antique Market

Adire African Textiles at Alfies Antique Market

Museum Street across the British Museum

British Museum is big, busy and filled with so much high quality things. We chose to see the Mummies, Textiles & pretty things from Japan. Maybe an odd choice or just the perfect combination, who can tell? However, you can not stop wondering how these things ended up here and how this amount of things present a peculiar history... They don't go much into detail in the museum, and maybe understandably so. Similar like the Rijksmuseum; playing it safe or just presenting the bare minimum {The BBC series 'Civilisations' gives some amazing insights on this collection}.

In the African part of the museum there was a lot of room for textiles, rows and rows of them. And I loved there was so much on Kanga's! Next to a big display, a video was playing explaining how Kanga's travelled from India, to East Africa, to Spain, and other European countries. I know only a little about the history of Kanga, but it seems like an intertwined one, just as the history of Wax Prints, I would love to learn more about it in the near future.

Highlight of the day for me were definitely the three Batiks in the small display about Australia. After learning about the Batiks by Emily Kame Kngwarreye and her Utopia Batik group, I am fascinated by it. These Batiks are from another group of Aboriginal women at the Ernabella Arts in Pukatja in South Australia. I love how they use the Javanese Batik technique to create their own unique style in motifs and colours! Would love to make a journey to Batik down under!

Batiks from Australia on display at The British Museum

Kanga's from East Africa on display at the British Museum

After the British Museum, we went to Liberty. After finding a small sampler-booklet of 'Liberty & CO, East India House' in the travel-journal of a cotton-printers son from 1884, I just needed to learn more about it.
Liberty is kinda the "Oilily of England". Only one big difference; Oilily got their inspiration from Dutch traditional wear and therefor from Indian Chintz, in 1963. Liberty was actually selling Chintz and imitations of Chintz from 1875!!!

Arthur Lasenby Liberty was born in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, in 1843. He was employed by Messrs Farmer and Rogers in Regent Street in 1862, the year of the International Exhibition. By 1874, inspired by his 10 years of service, he decided to start a business of his own, which he did the next year.
With a £2,000 loan from his future father-in-law, he accepted the lease of half a shop at 218a Regent Street with three staff members.

The shop opened during 1875 selling ornaments, fabric and objets d'art from Japan and the East. Within eighteen months, he had repaid the loan and acquired the second half of 218 Regent Street. As the business grew, neighbouring properties were bought and added.[2]

In 1884, he introduced the costume department, directed by Edward William Godwin (1833–86), a distinguished architect and a founding member of the Costume Society. He and Arthur Liberty created in-house apparel to challenge the fashions of Paris.

In 1885, 142–144 Regent Street was acquired and housed the ever-increasing demand for carpets and furniture. The basement was named the Eastern Bazaar, and it was the vending place for what was described as "decorative furnishing objects". He named the property Chesham House, after the place in which he grew up. The store became the most fashionable place to shop in London, and Liberty fabrics were used for both clothing and furnishings. Some of its clientele were exotic,[clarification needed] and included famous Pre-Raphaelite artists.

In November 1885, Liberty brought forty-two villagers from India to stage a living village of Indian artisans. Liberty's specialised in Oriental goods, in particular imported Indian silks, and the aim of the display was to generate both publicity and sales for the store.

During the 1890s, Liberty built strong relationships with many English designers. Many of these designers, including Archibald Knox, practised the artistic styles known as Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau, and Liberty helped develop Art Nouveau through his encouragement of such designers. The company became associated with this new style, to the extent that in Italy, Art Nouveau became known as the Stile Liberty, after the London shop.

- Wikipedia on 19th November 2018

The Department store of Liberty is still very much there, in the center of London. It is an amazingly weird building with Timber framing. Inside are impressive wooden ornaments, glazed tiles, paintings on the ceilings and piles of textiles. It was for me so interesting to see, this relic of Colonial times, very much alive and well in downtown London. At the same time, how many shoppers actually know about this history? 

Liberty Department Store

Liberty fabrics inside of the Liberty Department Store 

Above the entrance of the Liberty Department Store

Inside the Liberty Department Store

Inside the Liberty Department Store

Last stop for the first day, was the Open Studio at the V&A of the new artist in residence, Bridget Harvey! It was so great to actually be able to visit her and get an introduction on her amazing project. She will be looking at the V&A collection from a 'mending-point-of-view' and create new work from that the next upcoming 8 months. How lucky she is, and how deserved! Looking forward seeing what she makes, creates and repairs!

Introduction on Bridget Harvey's residency at the V&A

Day 2

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If you can’t take pictures at the wonderful ‘Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up’ exhibition at the @vamuseum, you just share some other awesome things💕I enjoyed the exhibition so much; it was truly a complete picture they painted of her and I loved everything about it💕So happy I can share this with @suryadewit, @koendewit and @_krean_ , feeling lucky😘#inspiredbyfrida #victoriaandalbertmuseum #fridakahlo #boomerang #baobabbatik #prettythings #family

A post shared by Sabine Bolk (@sabinebolk) on Oct 28, 2018 at 4:10am PDT

The Second Day was all about the exhibition 'Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up' at the V&A. I am preparing a post about it for Modemuze, so more on that in the near future!

It was so good and I was so happy I could see it! I felt so lucky and so close to her. They made it so well, great job!

After the exhibition we were all so filled up with emotions and images, we just eat and sit and talked. We continued a little later and enjoyed the V&A some more. I believe you can go 3 days to the V&A and don't get bored. Or at least thats how I feel about it. I wish I could go there more often!

Lunchroom at the V&A designed by Arts and Crafts movement leader William Morris (1834-1896)

Indian textiles at the V&A

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When everything that inspired the artist is in the same space as the works of that artist👩🏻‍🎨William Morris with his Arts & Crafts movement took inspiration from Medieval Art {Pre-Raphaelite}, next to textiles and other beautiful things from Japan, India and China😍So wonderful to step in this history for a moment and see all these things at the @vamuseum ❣️First; Dutch tapestries from 1500s, the stuff kings put in their drafty castles😲Then textiles from Japan & India and last a tiny corner of the museum café that was designed by William Morris😍 #victoriaandalbertmuseum #london #tapestry #unicorn #patterns #textiles

A post shared by Sabine Bolk (@sabinebolk) on Oct 28, 2018 at 2:30am PDT

Day 3

The last full day was a mixture of muscle ache of dancing the whole night before and enjoying some more Art. We made a quick visit to Surya's Studio while enjoying the lovely Walthamstow neighbourhood. What a pretty part of London, no wonder William Morris got so much inspiration from it and how great that Surya's lives there!
Of course we needed to go to the William Morris Gallery also. This time it was the dot on the i. It is so interesting to see how William Morris is in the middle of this interwoven history and he was definitly in the center of this trip. He designed for Liberty & Co, he designed parts of the V&A interior, his was fascinated by Indian and Japanese Textiles and Art, by Medieval Tapestries and he loved Crafts. It was so great to spend the Sunday at this wonderful place, his Childhood home!

Shop with Wax Prints

Surya's work at her studio

William Morris Gallery

Waterlilies by Monet at the William Morris Gallery

At the William Morris Gallery

Detail of textile design by William Morris

at the William Morris Gallery

Sketch for a wall paper design

at the William Morris Gallery

Detail of textile design by William Morris

at the William Morris Gallery

Garden of the William Morris Gallery