Report to IASSRT committee
1. Review of 2018
1.1 Review of 2017-2018
1.1.1 Organizing 2nd iassrt symposium “Dialogue with Silk between Europe and Asia: History, Technology and Art” from Nov. 29th to Dec. 3rd, 2017 in Lyon, France (with Musées Gadagne).
The 2nd IASSRT Symposium “Dialogue with Silk between Europe and Asia: History, Technology and Art”, which was hosted by International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles, co-organized by China National Silk Museum and Musées Gadagne, held successfully from November 29 to December 4, 2017. More than 40 scholars and organization representatives from 12 countries, including China, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Russia, the United States, Korea, Japan and Thailand, attended the symposium.
Scholars made academic reports and leaded relative discussions around the theme of “Dialogue with Silk between Europe and Asia: History, Technology and Art” in the two-day symposiums from November 30 to December 1. The main theme was divided into six panels, that focused on “French Silk”, “Archaeology”, “Museum Collections”, “Asia Silk”, “Art of Silk on the Silk Road”, “Silk Exchanges between Europe and Asia” respectively.
1.1.2 Preparing the 3rd iassrt symposium “Silk Road Textiles: Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage” was held from Nov.2nd to Nov. 10th, 2018 in Buyeo, Korea (with Korea National University of Culture Heritage) .
1.1.3 Discussing the 4th iassrt symposium in Russia. Theme, place and time will be discussed.
1.2 Cooperation among IASSRT members
1.2.1 Joining in the International Alliance of Museums of the Silk Road (IAMS) as one of the organizations.
1.2.2 Helping to prepare exhibition A World of Looms: Weaving Technology and Textile Arts in China and Beyond held in NSM from May 30th to Sep. 15th in 2018. National University of Culture Heritage (Korea), Traditional Textile Arts Society of South East Asia (Indonesia), Queen Silikit Textile Museum (Thailand) did a great help.
1.2.3 Helping to prepare Mountains and Water: Global Qipao Invitational Exhibition held in NSM from Sep. 26th to Oct. 16th in 2018. National University of Culture Heritage (Korea), Traditional Textile Arts Society of South East Asia (Indonesia), did a great help.
1.2.4 Exchanging scholar/personnel visits, including:
Dr. Zhao Feng visited Traditional Textile Arts Society of South East Asia in April (for preparing the loom exhibition) and Needham Research Institute in UK in July (to visit the NRI and to write the Loom Volume in the series of History of Chinese Science and Civilization);
Lu Fangfang visited Queen Silikit Textile Museum in Thailand in April (for preparing the loom exhibition);
Zhou Yang visisted Uzbekistan in September, and some of members from this IASSRT presented there too (names need to be added): Dr. S. Mariah Waworuntu (Traditional Textile Arts Society of South East Asia - Indonesia); Mr. Pav Eangkhoing (Artisans d’Angkor Cambodia
(if there are any other personnel visits, please add on the list)
1.2.6 Organizing Workshop of Silk and Mulberry at the British Museum (by Helen Wang). Susan Whitfield and Claudio Zanier etc joined the workshop.
(See attachment Silk and Mulberries Workshop, British Museum, 23 July 2018)
1.3 Website
1.3.1 Updating information and announcement of
The website aims to update information about iassrt members, including symposium, projects, exhibitions, cooperation.etc among iassrt members. We hope that more information will be provided.
1.4 other activities
1.4.1 Receiving organization applications from Fashion and Textiles College, Fu Jen Catholic University, British museum... (more name will be added)
1.4.2 Receiving expert applications from Robert Urscheler, Helen Perrson… (more name will be added)
2 Plans for 2019
2.1 IASSRT symposium
2.1.1 Preparing 4th iassrt symposium in Russia. Theme, place and time will be discussed.
2.2.2 Preparing 5th iassrt symposium in Italy. Theme, place and time will be discussed.
2.2 Cooperation among IASSRT members
2.2.1 Preparing for applying China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou to designate a new Institute/Center under the auspices of UNESCO (category 2):
International Center for Silk Heritage on the Silk Roads
2.2.2 Preparing for exhibition (Life along the Silk Road) (including related international conference, Exhibitions Titled the Silk Road: Forum of Curators from the Museums along the Silk Road), exhibition (Traditional Korean Silk and Costume exhibition) and exhibition (Costumes from Ming China, Conservation Project of Ming Costumes from Wang Dian, Zhejiang, China).
2.2.3 Cooperating for projects of Worldmap of Silk, Biennial of Natural Dyes.
2.2.3.1 Introducing Worldmap of Silk :
Since May 30th, 2017, China National Silk Museum has made two exhibitions, A World of Silks and A World of Looms, followed with two projects. One is the Global History of Silk, which would include the following sections:
1. Origin of sericulture and the classical silk manufacture, -3000 to -200
2. The Silk Road and silk transported to the west, -200 to +500
3. The transmission and exchange of silk technology on the Silk Road, +500 to +900
4. Expanding of silk production along the maritime Silk Road, +900 to +1500
5. Europe becoming a center of silk manufacture, 1600 to 1850
6. Globalization of silk, 1850 to 1950
7. Contribution of the Silk Road to the development of the world
And the other is the World Map of Silk, an interactive map, including information of archaeological silks, silks as museum and private collection, sericulture and silk craftsmanship as intangible cultural heritage, mulberry and sericulture sites, and loom and dyes. The world map of looms has been made already during the loom exhibition.
Right now, both projects need international collaborations from the silk research institutes and individual scholars.
We hope that more statistics in this area of Italy, Korea, Japan, France, Russia.etc will be contributed to by our members.
2.2.3.2 Introducing Biennial of Natural Dyes
2.2.4 Publishing two issues of Journal of IASSRT.
2018 IASSRT Korea Symposium - Committee report (Click to download)
