Textiles Tell Stories: Between India and Indonesia

Join us at V&A South Kensington as Dr Lesley Pullen will be presenting two richly illustrated lectures supported by two diverse groups of textiles from a private collection. 

This study day explores the prominent role of textiles within South and Southeast Asia from the 9th to the 14th centuries as handmade items of commerce from India were exchanged for forest products from eastern Indonesia. Such luxury textiles were used as objects of everyday use or of gift exchange for the elite, with some subsequently retained as revered family heirlooms. Whilst complex textiles and styles of dress inform us of different societies and cultures, they also throw light on the broader trade and exchange of styles and patterns worldwide. 

Through a study of the surviving medieval material arts of Pagan city, Java island, and the Khmer empire, especially the surviving medieval stone and metal sculptures of Java, Lesley explores these historic textile patterns, materials and techniques. From Indian trade cottons, block printed and mordant dyed, and double ikat silks across the seas to Indonesian batik, ikat and songket textiles, Lesley will explore key aspects of style and technique through these two lectures and textile sessions.

Tickets for this study day are limited