Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Textiles, tea and tuk-tuks

Today's Textiles and Tea featured Walter Turpening, originally a researcher in the oil industry, who moved into textiles later in life and now creates ergonomically designed seats with woven covers.

Largely for weavers, with a sliding mechanism to avoid leaning, and for knitters, they're designed using beautiful woods,  to the individual measurements of the user. He teaches the seat weaving, using cotton threads and braiding which he dyes.

 

Here's his book




Here's a braiding machine processing thread into braid, kumihimo style. I've done a hand version of kumihimo braiding, with modest (!) results.



This was a niche installment of the series, very useful to weavers using floor looms, and knitters..

And here's what I stumbled on in my mailbox earlier today


Tuk-tuks, originally rickshaws pulled by a person, 


later adapted to a bicycle, easier for the puller, then motor bike, and finally motorbike enclosed in the chassis, out of the sun, probably best of all.


What's interesting about them, too, are the designs, all kinds of images, often carefully painted to avoid religious taboos about representing people and various animals. 
The colors are brilliant, good in the tropical light where they operate.

And despite seeing statements that the drivers do their own artwork, maybe some are also artists, but it's a professional industry, as you see.


Colorful rush hour!

Happy evening everyone, enjoy the rest of your day



22 comments:

  1. How much better the tub-tuks are than our gasoline guzzlers! And such artistry!

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    1. They're motorized, but I guess smaller engines.

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  2. Bright colours making the world a more beautiful place

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  3. So much colour makes for a happy post.

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    1. This is a low light dull color time where I live, so color helps.

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  4. Those woven chair covers are so beautiful! As for the tuk-tuks, I remember seeing colorful ones in India, but most of them are a basic yellow-and-green, as I recall.

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    1. I wonder if they were fleet vehicles? like checker cabs?

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  5. I do admire countries who are not afraid of color.

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    Replies
    1. I wish our vehicles were more interesting.

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  6. Somewhere in the house, but where is a mystery, there is a little tuk-tuk, made from a coke can.

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  7. That color is incredible and I do love bright beautiful colors. I had a hand woven poncho from Guatemala given to me years ago and I still admire those brilliant eye popping colors.
    I wish I had the talent to paint that!

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    1. In the brilliant light of tropical countries, you need strong color. Subtlety is washed out.

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  8. Beautiful furniture! I've only ever seen tuk-tuks in movies but they certainly are colourful!

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    1. I really want to run my hand over that furniture and slide it to see how it glides.

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  9. I didn't know that about Islamic art.

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    1. It explains all the geometric forms in Islamic art.

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  10. The tuk tuks are great. One of the things I like about Mexican culture is their use and love of bright colors. It's rare to see a house painted in bright colors here in the US.

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    1. Yes, I can't see it catching in, but it would be lovely in areas where the light level works for it.

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  11. Another post filled with things to learn. I had never heard of a tuk tuk but was aware of their existence.
    I would love that chair featured on the cover of that book.

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    1. I wonder what it would cost to commission it? A bit pricey, I think.

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