From Bali to Timor: 'Woven Threads' celebrates eastern Indonesian textiles

What better setting could there be for an exhibition of weavings from the islands of the eastern Indonesian archipelago, strung along the sea between the Indian and Pacific oceans, than a villa overlooking the sparkling surface of the bay of Lugano? Two floors of the 18th-century Villa Malpensata provide multiple spaces for a panoply of treasures from the collections of Georges Breguet and Beatrice Zuellig, each an aficionado of these traditions.

One is immediately struck by the astonishing variety of the textiles at this show, organised by MUSEC, the Museum of Cultures. The opening space introduces the geographical spread of the chain of island cultures, each with its own styles and ways of patterning. In the second room, the enormous diversity of materials and techniques is revealed in a visually arresting plethora of designs.

Warp ikat, weft ikat, double ikat, supplementary warp, supplementary weft including songket interwoven with metalwrapped thread, weft-wrapping, tie-dyed pelangi, embroidery and appliqué-all demonstrate the decorative richness of the textile traditions of the region. It would be hard to imagine another part of the world where such a range of methods and textile forms exists.

Two spaces explore the islands geographically, starting with Bali in the west, moving through the island of Lombok, sometimes neglected in exhibitions of Indonesian textiles, then Sumbawa, Flores and Sumba. Here the pieces on show reflect the traditions of aristocracies, ancient rituals and religious heritage, inter-island relationships, the iconography of elephants and horses, once so important, and the role of textiles as status symbols.

In a space where the two floors are interlinked, many huge textiles have been hung, providing an element too often missing from textile exhibitions. The Museum of Cultures has taken on the challenge and here presents some examples of types rarely seen because of their size. Textiles from the islands of Timor, Roti, Savu and the Moluccas demonstrate patterns of culture, the role of textiles in belief and ritual, and the extraordinary originality of the weavers in these areas.

Several rooms are devoted to an exploration of motifs and symbols and their significance. Skirts, blankets and shoulder cloths, both ceremonial and everyday, reveal the conceptual worlds where (for example) the tripartite division of the cosmos into sea, land and sky is manifested. Woven depictions of marine and terrestrial creatures and the birds of the air remind the viewer of the ever-present proximity of tangible material and fleeting immaterial worlds in the local consciousness.

In addition to the hung textiles, most of the galleries contain sculptural forms in wood, stone, metal or plaited palm fibre. Chiefly drawn from the museum's own collections, they complement the theme of each area. Among the most evocative is a pair of ancestor figures from the Breguet collection made from woven strips of pandanus leaves, used as ritual containers for maize kernels, associated with the harvest in East Sumba. The woven structure evokes the ancient link between basketry and cloth.

Contributing to the distinctiveness of this exhibition are the different but complementary visions of the two owners of the collections. Georges Breguet has spent much of the past forty years making repeated visits to Sumba, engaging with local culture and communities, forming and developing long-standing connections with particular families. These experiences have shaped a detailed and personal understanding of the role of textiles and textile-making in people's lives and allowed him unusual access to the weavers themselves. One long-term relationship has been with the family of the celebrated weaver princess Tamu Ramba Yuliana, some of whose works appear in the exhibition.

Beatrice Zuellig has also spent much time in Indonesia, assembling textiles which appealed to her aesthetic sense and which demonstrate technical complexity. The beautifully mounted Timorese backstrap loom with a hand-spun cotton shoulder cloth has an integral beauty and is part of her collection.

Among the textiles on show are some examples of types rarely seen, whether in exhibitions or in publications. Among these are an ana nene or kain sekong from the Sasak people of Lombok and a Timorese horse blanket, both from the Zuellig collection. From Rote, a rare noblewoman's four-panel tube skirt and a ritual waistband for a pregnant princess are from the Breguet collection. There are textiles, too, from the Babar islands, Leti, Buaya and Semau, all too seldom seen.

As well as presenting such rarities, real treats for the connoisseur, the exhibition is unusual in the attention it pays to textiles which might not feature in a typical art museum display. While each is accorded the respect due to a work of art, the interest often lies as much in ethnographic significance or testimony of change as in beauty, fine workmanship or rarity.

Thus a man's shoulder cloth from Timor-Leste dating from the third quarter of the 20th century is embellished with both birds and aeroplanes; a late 20th-century Rotenese cloth features climbing roses, a motif introduced under the influence of Dutch missionaries. The ancient influence of Hindu forms is included, as are Muslim characteristics, the latter shown, for example, in an unusual ceremonial hanging from West Sumbawa depicting the Buraq, the winged mount of the Prophet Muhammad.

The richness of the exhibition provides several different levels of experience. A leisurely journey through the space provides some stunning impressions and opportunities for the textile lover to simply enjoy textures, colours, patterns and forms in an immediate and sensual way. For the more studious visitor there is labelling in Italian, as well as an accompanying booklet in English which provides more detailed interpretations.

The weighty catalogue-which explores the same material and more, but from a different perspective and in a different order-includes all the textiles on show as well as further examples. This is an exhibition which merits more than one visit, so comprehensive is its scope.

The multi-dimensional aspect of the project reflects the depth of the intellectual analysis and knowledge that underlie it, chiefly the input of Georges Breguet, whose long-standing passion shines throughout. The show has also benefited from meticulous mounting and lighting, and from the guiding hand of the museum's curator, Paolo Maiullari, a specialist in the region.