Without making ornamental work [alankara] the temple will remain mediocre [madhyama].
That temple, in which every part is covered with decorations [bhushana] is always called the highest [uttama] type.
The temple shorn of any decorations is definitely the lowest type.
— Shilpa Prakasa, Ramachandra Kaulacara, transl. Alice Boner and Sasasiva Rath Sharma, 41.
This exhibition seeks to enrich our understanding of architecture and textiles within South India by highlighting their shared qualities, both in form and meaning. We will take the temple—and more specifically, sacred space as an idea—as the common ground for comparing the two traditions, as they often meet in close proximity here. Taking Andhra Pradesh’s vibrant textile and architectural history as an example, we will discover how highly mobile cloths can create sacred space just like temples can. Further, we will find that the idea of dress—simply, covering something with something else—can actually link the two mediums, as both stone and flesh are transformed when laden with ornament. Discover the magnificent power of dress and the world’s hidden beauty by preparing to…
