Here is Teddy Milder’s (SDA NewsBlog New Releases Manager) take on some recently published books of interest to textile-focused creatives. Order through the SDA website and a percentage of your total will help support SDA member benefits – at no additional cost to you!  -Ed.

BLACK TATTOO ART: MODERN IMPRESSIONS OF THE TRIBAL
By Marisa Kakoulas

Editions Reuss, Germany
500 photographs in full color
Hardcover $150
Available: www. amazon.com
ISBN 978-3-934020-71-9

Teddy’s Take: A different kind of surface!

Black Tattoo Art: Modern Expressions Of The Tribal by tattoo zealot and expert Marisa Kakoulas traces the origins and scope of this tattoo style which is dedicated to the singular use of black ink. Blackwork tattoos have their roots in indigenous designs, but today include a broad spectrum of styles—from simple to ornate. The book makes for a fascinating study of the incredible imagination and talent that the form inspires. It delves into a history of tribal tattooing with interviews and insight provided by the “godfather of tribal tattooing” Leo Zulueta as well as Peter Schachner—aka Lard Yao—a master of hand-poked Thai tattooing who learned the technique (and got the name) from the Thai prison where he was an inmate. Following that, each chapter is devoted to a different style, covering Neotribal, Dotwork, Traditional Revival, Thai/Buddhist and Art Brut and including 35 artists.

NOMADIC FELTS
By Stephanie Bunn

British Museum Press, David Brown Book Company
www.oxbowbooks.com
160 pages, 200 color illustrations & 20 line drawings
Paperback $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-0-7141-2557-2 ?ISBN-10: 0-7141-2557-1

Teddy’s Take: Nomadic Felts is one of the first comprehensive overviews of felt-making by nomadic peoples of Central Asia – spanning over 2,500 years.

The craft continues to thrive and is an integral part of their nomadic culture. Valued for both its functional and decorative qualities, felt is used to make yurts and all manner of objects relating to daily life, such as carpets, interior fittings, carrying bags, saddle cloths and clothing. The book also explores patterns and symbolism and includes traditional feltmaking as practiced in many other parts of the world: the Turkic and Mongol traditions, including felt from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Xinjiang and from Mongolia, Tibet, Bhutan and South-East Asia, as well as closely associated styles from Afghanistan and the Caucasus. Illustrated with spectacular textiles from museums in Britain, the United States, Russia and Europe as well as field photographs, archival material and details of motifs, this book will provide a unique insight into nomadic life as well as an inspirational source of designs for any maker.

YOHJI YAMAMOTO
By Ligaya Salazar

V&A Publishing, Abrams Books, New York
www.abramsbooks.com
192 pages, 120 full-color illustrations
Hardcover $60.00
ISBN: 1-85177-627-3
EAN: 9781851776276

Teddy’s Take: Yohji Yamamoto is one of fashion’s continual innovators and this stunning book provides an  insight into his working approach and relationships with other creative practitioners.

This comprehensive and groundbreaking volume includes an insightful interview with Yamamoto as well as a roundtable discussion with some of his key collaborators – Nick Knight, Peter Saville, and Marc Ascoli among them. Photographer Max Vadukal, who has been working with Yamamoto for more than 25 years, is interviewed by Terry Jones. Long-time collaborator Masao Nihei contributes an essay on some of the wider influences on Yamamoto’s designs and how they are presented. Beautifully illustrated throughout, images from the Yohji Yamamoto Archive were selected by Nick Knight and Paolo Roversi.

IMPERIAL CHINESE ROBES FROM THE FORBIDDEN CITY
By Ming Wilson and Verity Wilson

V&A Publishing, Abrams Books, New York
www.abramsbooks.com
128 pages, 100 full-color illustrations
Hardcover $50.00
ISBN: 1-85177-620-6
EAN: 9781851776207

Teddy’s Take: This book showcases incredible garments created during the Qing Dynasty China (1644-1911).

With clear rules dictating what to wear according to the occasion, official dress was worn when the emperor performed sacrifices and other important rituals. Auspicious dress was worn for New Year, birthdays, and weddings; military dress for troop inspection; traveling dress for hunting and royal visits to the provinces; and ordinary dress for events of a non-celebratory nature – such as mourning. When not performing public duties, however, the imperial family could freely choose the garments they wore.  The book has beautiful photos of both official robes and accessories and the more casual, but still lovely, clothing created for the fashion-conscious Qing Dynasty court ladies.

ART DECO TEXTILES
By Charlotte Samuels

V&A Publishing, Abrams Books, New York
www.abramsbooks.com
144 pages, 117 full-color illustrations
Hardcover $29.95
ISBN: 1-85177-391-6
EAN: 9781851773916

Teddy’s Take: “Art Deco Textiles” contains hundreds of full-color photographs that bring to life this era (the 1920s – 30s) full of great social and cultural upheaval as well as immense creativity in all artistic fields.

The decorative arts experienced a boom that was to shape the lifestyle of a generation.  French artists and designers found themselves at the center of these developments. Craftsmen and industrialists worked side by side: from Lyons silk to the first artificial fibers; carved wooden printing blocks to huge multiple-cylinder rotary presses; indigo and madder to aniline and alizarin dyes; traditional to innovative.

FUNCTIONAL AESTHETICS: VISIONS IN FASHIONABLE TECHNOLOGY
By Sabine Seymour

SpringerWien, New York
232 pages, 160 color illustrations
Hardcover about $50.00
Available:  www.amazon.com
ISBN 978-3-7091-0311-3

Teddy’s Take: Functional Aesthetics is a sequel to Seymour’s highly acclaimed book Fashionable Technology (SpringerWien 2008) and contains new, state-of-the-art and revealing artistic and design examples focusing on the aesthetic and functional aspects.

Chapters like Contextual Prerequisite, Body Sculpture or Transparent Sustainability provide in-depth studies of often visionary projects seen as stimulation for new developments in the maturing field of Fashionable Technology . The book presents inspiring projects between the poles of fashion, design, technology, and sciences. It includes a list of relevant information on DIY resources, publications, inspirations, etc.

PORTRAITS OF THE MIND: VISUALIZING THE BRAIN
ANTIQUITY TO THE 21 CENTURY
By Carl Schoonover

Abrams Books, New York
www.abramsbooks.com
240 pages, 120 full-color illustrations
Hardcover $35.00
ISBN: 0-8109-9033-4
EAN: 9780810990333

Teddy’s Take: Portraits of the Mind follows the fascinating history of our exploration of the brain through images; starting with  medieval sketches and 19th-century drawings by the founder of modern neuroscience to images produced using state-of-the-art technology.

Black-and-white and vibrantly colored images, many resembling abstract art, are employed daily by scientists around the world – but most have never before been seen by the general public. Each chapter addresses a different set of techniques for studying the brain, as revealed through the images, and each is introduced by a leading scientist in that field of study. Accessible to a wide audience, this book reveals the elegant methods applied to the study of the mind, giving readers a peek into its innermost workings. It helps us to understand our brains and offers clues about breakthroughs in understanding that may lie ahead.