Priorities, Concepts and Directions: Weaving Some Digital Accounts of Early Modern Textiles

Textiles are a fertile field for the study of global exchange in early modernity. Ancient routes, such as the Silk Road, gave way to a new network of textile regions in Europe and beyond. Technical innovations were abundant and, too, the numbers of people involved in their use. The economic, technological, social, cultural and artistic dimensions of textile production relative to global early modern history are extraordinary. The link between Jacquard looms and the first computers - namely, the use of perforated cardboard for the storage of information - remains an inspiring metaphor for the interconnectedness of textile art and modern technology.

Art historians are increasingly involved in interdisciplinary research that attempts to apply digital tools. Collaboration with computer scientists usually leads to teams engaging designers, educators and conservators. Ongoing projects provide some valuable insights, including the importance of striking a balance between innovation and widespread adoption. Funders and technologists prioritize proposals that go beyond the state of the art; nevertheless, the broad dissemination and application of those innovations are mainly dependent on slower processes, less centered on technologies and more on learning from peers. Humanities’ scholars might profitably focus more on applicability. Similarly, a clarification of the concepts and methods of DAH is needed: the all-encompassing “virtual” means almost anything. While GIS is one of the most successful digital technologies, it remains surprising how little art historians benefit from dynamic visualizations of large-scale spatial relationships, especially for a discipline founded on models of center, periphery and routes of influence.