18 March 2016
Imagine walking deep into a forest. All the noise of the modern world fades away, leaving only the sounds of nature whispering in your ears. A stream murmurs nearby, the wind whistles through the trees, and leaves flutter in lengthy sighs as birds call out to one another overhead. There is no path where you walk, only trails marked by barely visible animal prints. Squirrels scurry up the b...
07 March 2016
Kuba art is renowned for their use of rhythmic geometric patterns that decorate all sorts of ritual objects, masks, textiles and these highly collectible ceremonial cups. The Kuba have been described as a people who cannot bear to leave a surface unadorned. It stems from a tradition that associates elaborate ornamentation with high status and prestige. You might say, to the Kuba people, m...
26 February 2016
In the late 1970s a lone fishing boat rocked gently on the waves of the Java Sea just off the coast of Kalimantan, Indonesia. The fishermen appeared as no more than shadows in the grey pre-dawn light. They silently went about their work, hauling in nets full of fish, clams and seaweed. A single deckhand leaned over the boat to pull a net over the side when his fingers curled around an une...
20 February 2016
Who is to say that the things we see – all the colors, shapes and textures of the world – are viewed the same way through every eye? Is the green you see the same as the green I see? Recent research has suggested it's not, and further, that the perception of color is actually derived from experience. Needless to say, no two people have identical experiences, even identical twins. We are al...
12 February 2016
In the 200 years between the early 1400s and the 1600s Portugal was the leader in world exploration and trade. While the rest of Europe was mercilessly ravaged by the Black Plague, Portugal remained largely unharmed due to its relative geographic isolation. Prior contact with the Islamic world had also given the Portuguese greater mathematical knowledge, allowing them to build ships sturdy...
05 February 2016
Imagine a drop of water falling onto a still pool. If you listen intently, you can hear a sound reverberate. It ripples through the air for an instant before dissipating. If your hearing is acute enough, you might hear small waves gently ringing in your ear. Now imagine holding a metal bowl with water inside – the still pool – and the touch of a wood mallet on the rim. This tim...
15 January 2016
An ancient term that translates as the 'science of arts and crafts,' Shilpa Shastra covers a wide range of decorative and sculptural disciplines such as painting, stone carving, carpentry, jewel making and pottery. The old Hindu texts of Shilpa Shastra address various design rules and principles such as proportion, composition and meaning, especially when it comes to the creation of deiti...
08 January 2016
Most often minkisi are wooden carvings of anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figures, but they can also be shells, gourds, horns and clay pots used for the same purpose. To create minkisi, the nganga first commissions a figure from the village carver or carves the figure himself. These “naked” figures usually include a hollowed head or stomach, considered to be spiritual focal point...
31 December 2015
A long, long time ago in the Far East, the Jade Emperor – supreme deity, ruler of the Heavens, and first emperor of China – decided to hold a race. He called on all the animals in his kingdom and decreed that the first twelve to reach him would each represent a year of the astrological cycle; but to reach him, the animals needed to cross a wide river. The first animal to act wa...
23 December 2015
Although most Japanese no longer wear traditional kimonos, I come from a tradition-loving family and when growing up frequently wore them for special occasions such as family gatherings and dinner parties. My most elaborate kimono was reserved for New Year's Day. It had full length sleeves reaching down past my knees and a sash that took nearly thirty minutes to knot. Altogether, this kimo...