Despite originally starting our experiential project with a more quantitiative plan, our individual perceptions of pain were nearly impossible to guage imperically. Without specialised equipment, we fell back onto our own observations and recorded our experiences within this blog. We noticed that much like with other textile arts, a marked strain on joints after an extended period of time remained present. Additionally the time constraint proved unhelpful in our resulting experiences, resulting in a more qualitative experience.
However, through our experiential work we were able to understand 3 key interpretations revolving around the medieval art of naalbinding.
- The basic foundation of rules and regulations of the craft.
- Time limitations and whats needed to get to a productive level of naalbinding.
- Physical strain and its importance of addressing the effects and limitations naalbinding has on our disabilities.
From creating the needles ourselves, we were able to experiment with different arrangements. We found that the shape of the needle was heavily relied upon. A larger end would result in an increased strain on both the yarn and joints. The use of pressure during the stitch meant larger loops and a more frustrating experience. Experimenting with different needles assisted our understanding of what might have been experienced between textile workers at the time. The utilization of different materials may have created a shift in experiences which could have been reliant on economic status. Additionally, our usage of different materials highlighted this dependance on status. Thicker, more expensive yarn would be easier to use and would create a higher quality final product. Especially within the medieval period, when warmth was essential.
Approaching a productive level of naalbinding proved difficult, especially within a limited amount of time. Expertise in the craft is clearly essential when the wellbeing of one and their family is reliant on it. Without the use of modern day technology it was much easier to tell how intense this might have been.
Finally, although each member has differing ranges of physical ailments, each of us found that due to the repetitive motions of naalbinding an emphasis on its strains should be made. Many of us struggled to Naalbind for more than an hour at a time without pain or risk of flare-up. This is likely only a fraction of what people would have been expected to work in a day. We must also assume that we have more accommodations for pain; we have comfortable chairs, well heated homes and enough food, where many lower class textile workers may have not. Future focus on this subject should explore this difference in class present within naalbinding materials at the time, such as yarn and needle types. As well as a more refined physical management scale, focusing perhaps on one joint specifically and a comparison between archaeological evidence. Due to the lack of literature surrounding physical disabilities present within textile work, addressing these effects through experiential research becomes increasingly important.