2007年VOA标准英语-The Ancient Art of Engineering - as Art

By Odil Ruzaliev
Washington
01 May 2007
 

For centuries, nomads¹ wandered the steppes of Central Asia living in tents. One of the critical engineering elements of these flimsy structures was the tent band designed to brace² the roof. Over time, these bands became objects of great beauty and design. A new exhibit at the Textile Museum in Washington, DC highlights these vibrant³ textiles. For producer Odil Ruzaliev, VOA's Jim Bertel has more on this unusual collection.

Architectural Textiles: Tent Bands of Central Asia

The exhibit is called: "Architectural Textiles: Tent Bands of Central Asia," a title that befits these beautifully woven engineering marvels⁴. Often taking several years to create, tent bands were family heirlooms, frequently installed on a young couple's first home then passed down from generation to generation.

Many visitors to the exhibit are struck by the tent bands' artistic⁵ grandeur⁶.

"[They are] so beautiful, they are so incredibly beautiful,” said one woman, “the colors and the texture⁷. Also, I think about the amount of time it must have taken to do this by hand." 

"We have a lot of carpets from Turkey. I think that is what first made us recognize the incredible beauty of the patterns and so forth," said another visitor.

The exhibit's curators say tent band designs differ greatly from other nomadic⁸ textiles, with the weaving skills and types of dyes and other materials of the highest quality.

The museum's Kathy Uravitch says the bands' large size made displaying them a challenge.

"It has been an interesting concept, basically from the beginning, trying to hang these long objects which are (15 meters) in length and about (30 centimeters) wide, and try to work with an installation where we normally deal with more sort of square or rectangular objects. And so this was definitely a really interesting project and challenge for us," said Uravitch.

This will not be the last Central Asian exhibit at the Textile Museum. They have acquired many other textile items from the region and plan to put them on display in 2009.

1 nomads   

n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 )；流浪者；游牧生活；流浪生活

参考例句：

• For ten years she dwelled among the nomads of North America. 她在北美游牧民中生活了十年。
• Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. 游牧民族在这地区居住已有数千年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

3 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

4 marvels   

n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor's treatment has worked marvels : the patient has recovered completely. 该医生妙手回春，病人已完全康复。 来自辞典例句
• Nevertheless he revels in a catalogue of marvels. 可他还是兴致勃勃地罗列了一堆怪诞不经的事物。 来自辞典例句

5 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。

6 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

7 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

8 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。