HOW TO GET DOWN FROM A YAK: Adventures in Central Asian Nomadic Textiles - An ArtsNational Cairns presentation.
Artist:
Chris Aslan
2:00pm Sunday 10th August 2025
Houses made from wool that warm in the depths of winter, carpets that tell stories, woven bands that appease ancestors, embroideries that ward off evil, and kilims that store kitchenware, with everything ready to be packed and carried on a yak or camel at a moment’s notice. The little-known nomadic textile cultures of the Kyrgyz, Turkoman and Karakalpak are explored in this lecture, along with the rise and fall of nomadism and where it fits within the modern world. Chris also shares his own experience of working with nomadic yak herders in the High Pamirs for 3 years.
Chris spent his childhood in Turkey and in war-torn Beirut and is currently based in Cambridge. His career extended from the sea, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Oxford. He established a UNESCO workshop reviving fifteenth century carpet designs and embroideries which became the largest nongovernment employer in town. He was kicked out as part of an anti-Western purge and recorded his experiences in his book “A Carpet Ride to Khiva”.
|
| Map to Stratford Library Meeting Room: |
|
|
| Help us keep events listings legit |
| We all want to see useful and correct information, so if you spot anything that looks
incorrect or inappropriate, please let
us know. |
|
