Brahma
Scarf
2003 (designed), 2003 (made)
2003 (designed), 2003 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Mirka Rozmus is an Australian weaver who specialises in creating unique hand woven silk scarves. Originally trained as a classical violinist, Rozmus ran her own Design Studio in Sydney creating couture garments from her hand woven fabrics. She gave up her musical career in 2002 to concentrate on weaving full time.
Rozmus trained under Peter Townley, also a musician, who ran a weaving course at the Tasmanian School of Art, before moving to Sydney in 1984. Every year she travels to Kyoto in Japan to purchase the traditionally hand dyed silks from which she weaves limited edition scarves. She uses the traditional method of handweaving, working on an eight shaft, foot powered jack loom; this is a lengthy and precise method of handweaving as the warp alone may contain over 2,000 fine silk threads. Rozmus weaves only two or three scarves per warp and never reproduces an original design. Each finished scarf is individually named and allocated an 'archival number' before being rolled on a hand made silk covered roller, wrapped in Japanese paper and placed in a box, also designed by Rozmus and hand made in Kyoto.
The '5 Pillars of Wisdom' series was inspired by a temple dedicated to the God Brahma, Lord of Creation, discovered in the remote jungles of Nepal. In designing this scarf, the first of a series of four, Rozmus has combined the pillars of the temple with writing, recalling the strange and intricate script carved on the massive pillars. She choose a particular colour blue for the weft as she felt it evoked the traditional drawings of the Hindu pantheon, in which the Gods are often depicted as being blue in colour. The '5 Pillars of Wisdom' is the second series in which Rozmus has tried to evoke a sense of mysticism of divine knowledge 'transmitted' through ancient script found on stone pillars.
Rozmus trained under Peter Townley, also a musician, who ran a weaving course at the Tasmanian School of Art, before moving to Sydney in 1984. Every year she travels to Kyoto in Japan to purchase the traditionally hand dyed silks from which she weaves limited edition scarves. She uses the traditional method of handweaving, working on an eight shaft, foot powered jack loom; this is a lengthy and precise method of handweaving as the warp alone may contain over 2,000 fine silk threads. Rozmus weaves only two or three scarves per warp and never reproduces an original design. Each finished scarf is individually named and allocated an 'archival number' before being rolled on a hand made silk covered roller, wrapped in Japanese paper and placed in a box, also designed by Rozmus and hand made in Kyoto.
The '5 Pillars of Wisdom' series was inspired by a temple dedicated to the God Brahma, Lord of Creation, discovered in the remote jungles of Nepal. In designing this scarf, the first of a series of four, Rozmus has combined the pillars of the temple with writing, recalling the strange and intricate script carved on the massive pillars. She choose a particular colour blue for the weft as she felt it evoked the traditional drawings of the Hindu pantheon, in which the Gods are often depicted as being blue in colour. The '5 Pillars of Wisdom' is the second series in which Rozmus has tried to evoke a sense of mysticism of divine knowledge 'transmitted' through ancient script found on stone pillars.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
Title | Brahma (assigned by artist) |
Materials and techniques | Hand woven silk |
Brief description | Scarf, hand dyed and woven Japanese silk yarns, 'Brahma', designed and made by Mirka Rozmus, Australian, 2003. |
Physical description | Rectangular hand woven scarf, made from hand dyed Japanese silk yarns. Alternating subtle shading of dark blue/grape, brown and bronze warps. The geometric design is based on a series of 'pillars' which are configured with a curling pattern reminiscent of lyres and pan-pipes. Finished with hand twisted and knotted fringes. |
Dimensions |
|
Production type | Unique |
Copy number | 49 |
Marks and inscriptions | 49 (On bottom corner of scarf. Each scarf woven by Rozmus is a numbered original and will not be reproduced. The identifying archival number is hand stitched on bottom corner of the scarf. The scarf has a typed and signed certificate from the artist which details the title, number, dimensions and date of completion of the work. The certificate is filed on the RF.) |
Credit line | Given by Mirka Rozmus |
Summary | Mirka Rozmus is an Australian weaver who specialises in creating unique hand woven silk scarves. Originally trained as a classical violinist, Rozmus ran her own Design Studio in Sydney creating couture garments from her hand woven fabrics. She gave up her musical career in 2002 to concentrate on weaving full time. Rozmus trained under Peter Townley, also a musician, who ran a weaving course at the Tasmanian School of Art, before moving to Sydney in 1984. Every year she travels to Kyoto in Japan to purchase the traditionally hand dyed silks from which she weaves limited edition scarves. She uses the traditional method of handweaving, working on an eight shaft, foot powered jack loom; this is a lengthy and precise method of handweaving as the warp alone may contain over 2,000 fine silk threads. Rozmus weaves only two or three scarves per warp and never reproduces an original design. Each finished scarf is individually named and allocated an 'archival number' before being rolled on a hand made silk covered roller, wrapped in Japanese paper and placed in a box, also designed by Rozmus and hand made in Kyoto. The '5 Pillars of Wisdom' series was inspired by a temple dedicated to the God Brahma, Lord of Creation, discovered in the remote jungles of Nepal. In designing this scarf, the first of a series of four, Rozmus has combined the pillars of the temple with writing, recalling the strange and intricate script carved on the massive pillars. She choose a particular colour blue for the weft as she felt it evoked the traditional drawings of the Hindu pantheon, in which the Gods are often depicted as being blue in colour. The '5 Pillars of Wisdom' is the second series in which Rozmus has tried to evoke a sense of mysticism of divine knowledge 'transmitted' through ancient script found on stone pillars. |
Other number | Warp No 166, Warp title 5 Pillars of Wisdom - Limited Edition Number |
Collection | |
Accession number | T.34-2010 |
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Record created | May 18, 2011 |
Record URL |
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