Parsi Silk and Muslin From Iran, India and China

A new exhibition titled Parsi Silk and Muslin From Iran, India and China, opens from October 11, 2015 at the East West Centre, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. The exhibition has been co-curated by the phenomenal duo Pheroza J Godrej and Firoza Punthakey Mistree and is part of East West Centre’s Arts programme.

The exhibition will focus on the textile traditions of the Parsi and Iranian community including secular as well as  ritual clothing as used by Zoroastrian priests. Textiles will be used to display aspects of Parsi community life, Parsi history in India and Iran, and the various cultural influences on Parsi and Iranian Zoroastrian identity. Artifacts such as porcelain and furniture pieces and photographs will be used to provide context for the textiles displayed.

The exhibits will also include Zoroastrian Iranian Costumes of Yazd and will highlight the continuity of our culture and its unique place in modern day life in Iran and India. Viewers will gain insight into the history of the community, its rich and complex culture, the Zoroastrian religion, and the contributions of the Parsi and Iranian community to South Asia.

The format of the exhibition is modelled to be a  compact travelling exhibition which the co-curators hope to show in many parts of the Zoroastrian diaspora. It consists of 65 objects on display and represents the development of our material culture in terms of costumes and textiles which we as a community have adopted and adapted over the years. The vibrant history of the Parsi Iranian Zoroastrian community is deeply woven into the textiles and costumes of our people and in a way these objects are there to speak for the community’s  past and its future.

Below are two links to attachments in PDF format that give full details of the exhibition.

Having seen other seminal Zoroastrian themed exhibitions co-curated by Pheroza and Firoza, this one promises to be spectacular too. If you are in Honolulu definitely check it out.