Wedding skirt 1925 - 1945

Curator: Welcome. Before us hangs a "Wedding skirt," crafted by the Jat people sometime between 1925 and 1945. It’s an exquisite example of mixed-media art using fiber and textile techniques, currently residing here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: My goodness, what a dark and shimmering beauty! It feels like looking at a night sky, especially with the circles – they reflect light so magically. It's somber yet vibrant. Curator: The dark cotton indeed provides a striking backdrop to the vibrant embroidery. Notice the use of hand-embroidered designs. Each stitch is a testament to painstaking labour. And, of course, the integrated mirrors offer not just decoration, but function – reflecting back good fortune and deflecting evil. Editor: That makes the somber base all the more brilliant, doesn’t it? It makes me consider the weight of expectation, hope, the hours of skilled work… and the dreams sewn into this piece. Imagine the collective effort, passed down skills, women in community... What stories could it tell? Curator: Precisely. It's not merely an item of clothing. The creation of such skirts would involve a significant communal investment of labor and resources. It reflects not just personal skill, but familial and communal identity, especially when the process of mirror work might source materials beyond their community or necessitate trading expertise from others, highlighting that cultural connection. Editor: Right! Thinking of that cultural connection: There's an almost psychedelic effect with those tiny mirrors mixed with geometric patterning and bursts of vibrant colours; each reflective element feels like a burst of celebratory energy that grounds it and makes it feel connected to so much more. I think that might be one of the things I love most, I feel it has the possibility to reveal new dimensions about a bride on her special day. Curator: And each reflection subtly disrupts a static representation. This piece goes far beyond aesthetic beauty; it embodies social connections and a system of traditional, cultural production that's deeply compelling to contemplate in a gallery setting. Editor: I am enchanted by it! You’ve illuminated for me what really constitutes “value”, beyond its monetary consideration: the skill, cultural import, the stories. This beautiful Wedding Skirt has plenty to give beyond its physical form.