A centuries-old Tibetan sacred wall hanging provided the inspiration and basis for Thangka I. The torn silk and flaking paint of the original hanging were re-worked by the artists and adapted for weaving as a Jacquard tapestry. The artists were concerned with restoring the elegant image while retaining the sabi, the type of beauty that develops only with age. Thangka I was woven in Belgium on a seven-foot wide Jacquard loom utilizing 17,800 warp threads of 8 repeating colors. The weft threads are comprised of 8 repeating colors woven at 60 shots per centimeter. The weave file was created at Magnolia Editions in Oakland, CA by Donald and Era Farnsworth using techniques developed by Donald Farnsworth and John Nava.
A portion of the proceeds from the sales of this edition are donated to the Tibet Fund, a nonprofit which preserves the cultural, religious and national identity of the Tibetan people, and through them the Shalu Monastery in exile and the Tibetan Children's Village, a shelter and school for Tibetan orphans. |
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