Rectangular Costume Ornaments with Geometric Motifs Possibly 1000 - 1450

Curator: The Art Institute holds in its collection several exquisite Rectangular Costume Ornaments with Geometric Motifs from the Chimú culture, possibly dating back to between 1000 and 1450. What strikes you first about these, Editor? Editor: The raw materiality, definitely. These squares, laid out side by side, immediately suggest tactility. There's a roughness implied in the cut-out geometric designs. A visual echo of landscapes perhaps, miniaturized, abstracted. Curator: These ornaments would have been attached to clothing, likely signaling status within the Chimú society. Notice the recurring stepped patterns. This is a potent symbol of connectivity, resonating deeply within Andean cosmology. Editor: Absolutely, and the repetition lends rhythm. I wonder about the effect on the moving body... These wouldn’t simply adorn the wearer, they’d create visual music, as the stepped motifs catch the light and mimic the wearer’s motions. Curator: The stepped design often represents a connection to the spiritual realm and also mirrors agricultural terraces in the physical world, thereby showing how humans shaped the world around them. A link to gods and to sustenance. Editor: Fascinating how these stark geometries become infused with cultural meaning. Beyond the symbol, the visual tension arises from the sharp lines and abrupt transitions. What does the grid symbolize in Chimú culture, if anything? Curator: I'm not certain a perfect grid was specifically a conscious Chimú symbol. However, ordered and organized arrangements are common to show societal structures. You might see how a culture's cosmology seeps into material production. Editor: Right. Considering the ornament’s purpose, one might decode not only societal hierarchies but also individual identity through the intentional and artful placement of these recurring geometric forms. I mean they speak volumes even now. Curator: Precisely, they bridge distant lives to this very moment. A powerful testament to culture enduring, communicated via relatively simple, repeated motifs. Editor: A resonant point. Despite temporal gaps, the intrinsic formal qualities of these ornaments enable visual analysis, cultural understanding and a deeper understanding. Thank you.