Week 9 : Traditional and Contemporary Practices of Making and Doing

Week 9: Reading, reflections, and activities

I found this week’s topic engaging because of the use of the word “technology”. I was recently in a meeting discussing the uses and integration of technology in our school, and how often we peg ‘technology’ as simply “electronic devices”, rather than techniques or advancements of tools that date back for thousands and thousands of years. I loved Susan's comment that "ancient technology involves mathematical patterning every bit as much as do contemporary technologies, and the ancient technologies are sophisticated and beautiful."

Article Reflection and Summary; MacKenzie, A. (2021) "'The spirit of the medicine will lead us back: How Avis O'Brien is guiding Elders to weave their first cedar hats."

In MacKenzie's (2021) article, they noted how the power of cedars and weaving have been integrated into the Haida and Kwakwka'wakw cultures. In an interview, the power weaving is seen as "sacred medicine of cedar that led her back to herself, her identify, and her people". Weaving is part of their art but it is also embedded in their livelihoods, " 'we use it when carving masks, poles and making hats. I just think, wow, our Ancestors were so smart in how they thought about all these different uses and ways' ".

This article reminded me of the significance of learning from the previous generation and how so many traditions are often lost nowadays. I wish I took the time to learn traditions from my grandma and my aunties. My mother's family immigrated to Regina, Saskatchewan in the 60s and 70s, and played a large part in the growing Chinese community in that city, especially new immigrants. My grandma and auntie were known for their embroidery and culinary skills. They would handcraft intricate beading for silk garments and traditional wear, as well as produce sought-after bamboo sticky rice wraps (joongs) and other traditional buns (baos). I never took interest in learning and it is something I regret to this day. This article resonated with me as there is a need to go back to traditional practices, and to re-learn attributes that are embedded in family traditions.

Activity - Rope and Twine, 7 Strand Braid

For this week’s activity, I started off with the S and Z twine making using plastic bags. I have seen projects where plastic bags have been used to create weaving projects (Persil UK) , sleeping mats (Lex 18), and other unique projects. I’m notorious for keeping plastic bags on hand (I blame having an Asian mom embed this habit into me growing up), so I thought I’d use a few I had in my home. While watching the video, I learned about how rope was able to stay in place by the tension that is applied in the opposite direction. I thought that it was fascinating that “the strength and stability of rope and yarn are dependent on the geometrical properties of its and helical structure, and is more or less independent of its material properties” (Gerofsky, 2017).

Figure 1 (Left): Twisting strips of plastic bags to create “S” twist.
Figure 2 (Middle): Basic S strand completed

Figure 3 (Right): Twisting it on itself, in the opposite direction, creating a “Z” twist. 

For the 7-stranded braid, I tried, I really really tried. But failed MISERABLY. I think it was the type of string that I was using (“Friendship bracelet string”) that made it challenging to place the right amount of tension, thus I was unable to get the clean braid or a tight sequence. I spent hours trying to sort it out and in the end, I did what every “bad student” would - I gave up and tried my own variation to this task (I see this often in my class when students get frustrated).

My thought went to two things: consistent patterns and repeats. So I used the 7 strands and instead of ‘weaving’, I looped the left string (under, over, under) to the right string (the anchor). I world repeat this process moving through all 7 strands (left to right). So with each rotation, the right string (the anchor) became the next left strong (the looper). There are so many patterns that can be followed for “Friendship Bracelets”. Perhaps this is how new patterns are discovered? Through attempted failures and trial and error?

Figure 1 (Left): Pattern - Blue left strand (“looper” - under anchor, over ancho, under looper), purple right strand (anchor). I repeat the process with the purple strand as the “looper” and the next strand to the right as the “anchor”
Figure 2 (Middle): After about 10 rotations. Tension plays a factor and was something I didn’t keep consistent but the pattern is somewhat visible. 

Figure 3 (Right): As a result, the product tended to curl on itself. 

REFLECTION: (A bit of a tangent) This week's topic also brought me back to my social justice project where my focus was on the fast fashion industry and how microfibres are becoming a growing concern. Fabrics like polyester and acrylic are often made from recycled plastic that has been turned into fibers and weaved into fabric patterns. While this was initially thought to be a great way to recycle and repurpose plastic existing in our environmental system, there are implications as it produces tiny microscopic fibers that cannot be broken down. This is an example though, of how ancient technology, such as weaving, was a potential solution to a problem, such as plastic accumulation.