Shoulder cloth (slendang) c. 20th century

This 'Shoulder cloth (slendang)' was made anonymously, and it’s a riot of patient making. Someone really took their time with this, didn't they? The surface is covered in tiny stitches, a field of red with bursts of pattern, little constellations of colour. The texture alone makes me want to reach out and touch it; it’s so inviting. Look closer and you can see how the maker repeated shapes, a reminder that art is a process of continual experimentation. It’s a kind of conversation, each stitch responding to the last, each decision altering the course of the whole. It has a kind of disciplined maximalism, which reminds me a bit of some of Yayoi Kusama's more decorative pieces. Ultimately, it is this kind of making, so rooted in process and touch, that transcends time, connecting us to the maker's intentions.