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Layers Of Influence Analysis

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Much of the human experience is shrouded in mystery, but that has not dissuaded numerous historians and anthropologists from attempting to unravel the finer elements of culture. One such focus has been the items human beings have been consuming since the beginning of organized society. This focus is responsible for one of the most interesting and compelling exhibits ever put together by the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver Campus. This exhibit, appropriately entitled “Layers of Influence,” has been appearing for some time and is currently positioned as a popular attraction. In this paper, I plan to explore the purpose of this exhibit and discuss the role that clothing and other textiles have ultimately …show more content…

The unspoken thesis of the exhibit seems to be honoring the unsung usefulness of clothing as a necessary invention of the years, and also suggests that despite the massive significance cloth has had through out history, it has largely been ignored by the vast majority of people. How often have most of us given any thought to the purpose of cloth and its overall usefulness through out our lives? It would be impossible to say, but the organizational patterns of the installation challenge those within the audience to give pause long enough to evaluate the inquiry and discern an answer for …show more content…

Although clothing, fibers, and textiles are not always universally recognized as art in the same vein as painted or sculpted works, there is a great deal of historical value to them all the same, justifying the existence of the exhibit in the first place. Further more, the background in art appreciation allows for one to recognize the merit to the clothing beyond the strictly narrow interpretation of cloth as a tool for survival or even just engagement within a given community. In the specific pattern of organization, it is clear that the curator understood this with her exhaustive explanation, providing the justification and relevance of the particular

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