VOA慢速英语2011--Exploring Textile Arts Through History a

EXPLORATIONS - Exploring Textile Arts Through History and Around the World

DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson.
FAITH LAPIDUS: And I’m Faith Lapidus with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. At craft shows and corporate¹ headquarters across the United States, you might see works by the artist B.J. Adams. She makes extremely detailed² wall coverings that often show flowers, trees, and hands made from thread.
Her work “Variations on H” is made up of different colors of finely made hands connected together to form a flowing cloth. How did Ms. Adams make this work? Today we answer this question as we explore the world of textile art.
(MUSIC)
DOUG JOHNSON: For thousands of years, people have developed creative ways to produce textiles. A textile is a piece of cloth that has been formed by weaving, knitting, pressing or knotting together individual pieces of fiber³. Yarn⁴ is a general term for long pieces of interlocked fibers⁵. Yarn can be made from natural materials such as cotton, linen⁶, silk and wool. Or it can be made from manufactured materials such as nylon, acrylic and polyester. The paints that give color to yarn are called dyes.
Many people today might not think much about the shirt, pants, or socks they are wearing. Manufacturing cloth is now a very low cost process. But this was not always the case.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Until the nineteenth century, all cloth was made by hand. It took a great deal of time and effort to gather fibers from plants or animals to make into yarn which could then be made into cloth. Humans probably first made textiles to meet important needs. These include textiles for keeping warm, creating shelter, and holding goods. But cultures around the world also developed methods of making cloth that were artistic⁷, creative, and beautiful.
Weaving is one way to produce cloth. A set of threads called the warp⁸ form the base of the cloth. Other threads called the weft are placed over and under the warp. The device used to weave together warp and weft threads is called a loom⁹. If you look down at a piece of fabric¹⁰ as though it were a map, the warp threads would go in a north-south direction. The weft goes in an east-west direction.
DOUG JOHNSON: A tapestry¹¹ is a special kind of weaving method in which the weft does not go continuously through the whole width of the fabric. A weaver¹² uses the weft threads to create individual areas of color. The designs and images on the surface of a tapestry are woven into the cloth as opposed to being only on the surface of the cloth.
Some famous examples of wall tapestries¹³ were produced in Europe, starting around the fourteenth century. These include the seven Unicorn¹⁴ Tapestries that are part of the collection of the Metropolitan¹⁵ Museum of Art in New York City.
These extraordinarily¹⁶ fine tapestries were made in the early sixteenth century. They were thought to have been designed in Paris and woven in Brussels, then part of the Netherlands. They are so detailed they look more like paintings than weavings. The textiles tell a story about a group of hunters and wealthy people searching for a magical creature. During this period, wealthy people used finely made tapestries to bring color and warmth to their large houses.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Kilims are a kind of tapestry made across North Africa, the Middle East, Turkey and the Caucasus. Kilims were often made by tribes that moved from place to place. Kilims were made to cover the floors of tents or to hold goods. In these nomadic¹⁷ cultures, women were usually the weavers¹⁸. A mother would pass down weaving traditions to her daughter. Kilims are woven with many bright patterns and complex geometric forms. Each tribe or area has its own kilim traditions.
Another method for making floor coverings involves tying pieces of yarn onto the warp. Unlike kilims, these “pile” carpets are not flat, they are deep and soft because their surfaces are covered with the ends of thousands of pieces of yarn. These carpets are often called “Oriental” or “Persian” carpets. The National Gallery in Washington, D.C. has several fine examples of pile carpets from Iran. One red and gold carpet from the seventeenth century has complex patterns and animal designs.
DOUG JOHNSON: There are more methods for producing artistic textiles than we have time to discuss. For example, in the United States the tradition of making quilts has a long and rich history. Quilts are made by piecing together layers of cloth to make colorful coverings. The Amish religious group is well known for their inventive and bold quilt patterns.
There also many different ways to change the appearance of the surface of a textile. Embroidery¹⁹ work involves using colored yarn and a needle to create designs on the surface of cloth. One famous example of embroidery work is called the Bayeux Tapestry. This eleventh century work is not actually a tapestry. It is a seventy meter long cloth covered in embroidery stitches.
The images sewn on the cloth tell about the events leading up to the Norman invasion of England in ten sixty-six. The work includes hundreds of soldiers, horses, boats, and weapons.
There are also many methods for coloring fabrics²⁰ with dyes. In Indonesia, the batik method of dying fabric involves using wax to make complex patterns. In Japan, the shibori method involves tieing cloth in different ways so that some areas of it receive the dye. What kind of textile traditions exist where you live?
(MUSIC)
FAITH LAPIDUS: These textile traditions are ancient. Modern artists use these methods and others in creative and inventive ways to make new and exciting work. Artists who make art from textiles are often called fiber artists. We visited the studio of B.J. Adams in Washington, D.C. to see a fiber artist at work.
B. J. Adams uses a sewing machine and thread like a painter uses color. She guides the cloth she is working on so that the machine makes stitches and slowly colors the work. This is called free-motion embroidery.
B.J. ADAMS: “I started out with drawing and painting in school. And, I always made all my own clothes. And one time, in nineteen sixty, I started to see contemporary embroidery. And I’d never seen any embroidery except what the Girl Scouts²¹ showed you. And it was so good and so interesting, I thought it was combining two things I love, art and sewing.”
DOUG JOHNSON: Ms. Adams is always testing new ideas and methods. For example, she recently used heat transfers to copy images of paintings she made years ago onto cloth. Usually, she will cover the lines of her drawings using a straight stitch on her sewing machine. But for this series, she is experimenting with a zig-zag stitch that looks like a line made up of angles.
B.J. ADAMS: “I’m doing the whole thing in zig-zag. Just trying something new.”
(SOUND)
FAITH LAPIDUS: Many of her works are influenced by nature, trees, and flowers. Some have a dreamy, surreal look. Others are very realistic. One work shows a large embroidered²² white magnolia flower sewn onto a painted surface. It is so detailed that unless you look up close, you would think it was a painting.
B.J. ADAMS: “This is one from my drawings of the magnolia, which we have in our backyard. The magnolias die so quickly when you bring them in, so I had to draw it quickly before I started in on the stitching.”
FAITH LAPIDUS: Below the flower, Ms. Adams embroidered leaves in a range of colors to show how they change as they dry.
B.J. ADAMS: “They started out this kind of dark kelly and then they go to yellow, green, and brown and end up this color down here. It’s called “Catching the Moment” because they die so quickly.”
DOUG JOHNSON: Many works by B. J. Adams are abstract. This means there is no image, just an arrangement of forms and colors. One series is based on her time teaching in New Zealand. She used very dense²³ stitches that are very close together to make flowing lines of bright colors.
B.J. ADAMS: “Now that one and this one are both results of bungee jumping in Queenstown. And that’s called “Bungee Attitude” and that’s called “Rebound.”
FAITH LAPIDUS: Other works are influenced by gallery shows that have a set theme.
B.J. ADAMS: “This one is “Variations on K”, because this is the word kiss in every language, including sign language. And it was made for a show that had the theme of kiss. And they required this size piece, so that was the one I created.”
DOUG JOHNSON: Earlier, we discussed the work “Variations on H.” It hangs on a window in her colorful studio. It is made up of about forty drawings of Ms. Adams’ hands. She made each hand as an example to students while she was teaching a class on drawing using free-motion embroidery. She decided²⁴ to piece together the hands into one work.
B.J. Adams sewed the drawings onto special fabric which melted away after she washed it. What is left is pure embroidery. This complex work honors the artist’s most important tool, her hands. And, it gives a good example of the endless creative possibilities of fiber art.
(MUSIC)
FAITH LAPIDUS: This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Faith Lapidus.
DOUG JOHNSON: And I’m Doug Johnson. You can see pictures of B. J. Adams’ fiber art on our Web site, voanews.cn. Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.

1 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

2 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

3 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

4 yarn   

n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事

参考例句：

• I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。

5 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

6 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

7 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

8 warp   

vt.弄歪，使翘曲，使不正常，歪曲，使有偏见

参考例句：

• The damp wood began to warp.这块潮湿的木材有些翘曲了。
• A steel girder may warp in a fire.钢梁遇火会变弯。

9 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

10 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

11 tapestry   

n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面

参考例句：

• How about this artistic tapestry and this cloisonne vase?这件艺术挂毯和这个景泰蓝花瓶怎么样？
• The wall of my living room was hung with a tapestry.我的起居室的墙上挂着一块壁毯。

12 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

13 tapestries   

n.挂毯( tapestry的名词复数 )；绣帷，织锦v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The wall of the banqueting hall were hung with tapestries. 宴会厅的墙上挂有壁毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rooms were hung with tapestries. 房间里都装饰着挂毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 unicorn   

n.(传说中的)独角兽

参考例句：

• The unicorn is an imaginary beast.独角兽是幻想出来的动物。
• I believe unicorn was once living in the world.我相信独角兽曾经生活在这个世界。

15 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

16 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

17 nomadic   

adj.流浪的；游牧的

参考例句：

• This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
• The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。

18 weavers   

织工，编织者( weaver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Navajo are noted as stockbreeders and skilled weavers, potters, and silversmiths. 纳瓦霍人以豢养家禽，技术熟练的纺织者，制陶者和银匠而著名。
• They made out they were weavers. 他们假装是织布工人。

19 embroidery   

n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品

参考例句：

• This exquisite embroidery won people's great admiration.这件精美的绣品，使人惊叹不已。
• This is Jane's first attempt at embroidery.这是简第一次试着绣花。

20 fabrics   

织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地

参考例句：

• cotton fabrics and synthetics 棉织物与合成织物
• The fabrics are merchandised through a network of dealers. 通过经销网点销售纺织品。

21 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

22 embroidered   

adj．绣花的

参考例句：

• She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。
• She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。

23 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

24 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。