Asia-Pacific,  European and Turkish Culture Joint Program

The Silk Roads Part II: The Enchantment of Unfamiliar Beauty

Presenter: The Nourishment Projects (www.thenourishmentprojects.com)

"For the beauty that is put on with a garment and is put off with the garment belongs without doubt to the garment, and not to the wearer of it."

- Bernard of Clairvaux, 12th century

Few things mark precedence so scrupulously as luxury. An indispensable ceremonial symbol for religion, rites of passage, war, diplomacy, enthronement and death, luxury textiles concretize refinement. Throughout history, luxury obeyed aesthetic hierarchies; black velvet with an embroidery of pearls, then white velvet embellished with rubies and emeralds, followed by violet velvet decorated with turquoise and pearls. Some Roman emperors even forbade their citizens from wearing purple clothing under penalty of death. Identifying the wearer’s gender, country, status as well as the desire for self-expression and beautification, the significance of luxury textiles is immeasurable. Be it the Mongol Empire, the Ottoman Empire or the ambition of a Napoleon, the power of opulence transcends boundaries and the proverbial Silk Roads were, and remain, an artistic dialogue across political, cultural and geographic demarcations. Come discover why snails became the calling card for extravagant wealth.