Anni Albers

This is one of the first pieces that Anni Albers weaves after she emigrates to the United States. Called Ancient Writing, the wall hanging dates from 1936. At the end of 1935, Anni Albers and her husband travel to Mexico for the first time.

The textile is woven in cotton and a dark, shiny viscose, or rayon, a semi-synthetic fibre that Albers takes with her from Germany to America. It is a soft material that drapes well.

The black centre section is bordered by cream-coloured strips which make the centre seem even darker. The weave has a coarse mesh and is done in strips of different widths. Abstract geometrical forms shine in varying degrees of brightness against the black. To create the effect, Albers uses so-called “floating wefts”. Wefts are the weaver’s name for the parallel threads that are shot across the main warp – longitudinal – threads of the textile when it is on the loom. Albers’ “floating wefts” use a separate yarn and can cross several warp threads without being interwoven with them. The resulting forms seem like portions or even individual sentences in a text. Sometimes larger forms reveal different weaves. In 1968, Albers states:

“I am less interested in areas and more interested in the voice of the single thread”.

She also weaves in cabled metallic threads which shimmer as they surface and disappear into the weave. The Inca and the Maya had produced two-ply textiles for centuries, decorating them with metallic sequins and threads, and Albers discovers them on her travels.

The wall hanging bears witness to Anni Albers’ encounter with weaving traditions in Central and South America. But it is also one of the first textiles she produces that recall texts and writing. The title of the piece implies a mysterious ancient language that is no longer understood.