Today - April 30, 2021 -Dr. Nicewinter, an art historian, spoke with us about Inka Art and Architecture. She began by explaining the spelling of Inka, which I found very interesting. Basically, it is very difficult to translate from Quechua (the language of the Inkas) to English, and that actually, Inka technically means king. Dr. Nicewinter then went on to discuss more about the actually history, culture, and art of the Inkas.
Within early Inka culture, there was no wheel, writing system, marketplace, or breasts of burden. Because of the mountainous terrain and lack of animals able to pull carts, wheels really wouldn't have had a significant use. In regards to the lack of a marketplace, there was more of an emphasis on the more free exchange of goods and ideas. The land of the Inkas varied both greatly and quickly - marked by quick transitions between dry coastal desert, highlands, and the Amazon Basin. Out of these transitions arose stark differences in resources within the bigger culture, which led to adaptation and the bringing together of differences. The idea of verticality was prominent, meaning that "cross environment interaction took place to obtain necessary food and materials." Basically, people from different latitudes had to work together, despite their varying environments. This actually is a portion of what contributed to the spread of differing art styles. Inka is also referred to, almost more accurately, as Tawantinsuyu, meaning four parts. These four parts are Chinchasuyu, in the NW, Antisuyu in the NE, Qontisuyu in the SW, and Qullasuyu in the SE. Textiles have been deems one of the most important art forms within Inka culture. Basically, weaving was seen as the fabric of the universe. Individual textiles were even thought to be microcosms of the society as a whole. They were never cut, just woven to shape, featured many repeating geometric shapes, and used as markers of identity and status. Cama, in Inka culture, refers to a kind of essence, force, or power. Although there is no known name for artists in the society, many of the weavers were referred to as Camayaks - people who bring the camay. This shows their importance and status within society, in at least a spiritual sense. The idea of Ayni, which deals with two things coming together as a whole and duality, is also key to the culture. Most things within the society were actually even made in pairs become of this, connecting to the emphasis on reciprocity throughout the Inka lifestyle and tradition. Inka architecture was complex, yet very practical. Because of the severity and frequency of earthquakes in the area, the Inkas were forced to adapt. They used dry masonry, curved walls, plain roofs, and even trapezoidal doorways. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this lecture. I feel like I actually learned so much within a short time period from Dr. Nicewinter. One thing that particularly stood out to me was the idea of chaos vs. order within the culture - an idea I explore in my artwork. I really like how this contrast played into the idea of duality, which in the eye of the Inkas, had to do more with connection that opposition or contrast really. Perhaps next I focus more on duality - something I honestly think I have been subconsciously experimenting with in my art more recently.
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This past week I started to work on the second row of stitching on the circle. I believe I have completed this row on about six of the fabric circles so far. This is definitely time consuming, so I plan on continuing to stitch in my free time these next few weeks, rather than just during designated studio time. I am happy with how it's looking so far, so I'm thinking of continuing to do more and more rows if time permits.
During this week I continued to cut out the small paper circles and adhere them to the fabric. I did more than just what is pictured above, but all of this step looks pretty similar. The circles will be on the back of the fabric when this piece is actually displayed - for more of a subtle look.
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