Quilt of 5 Jewels, Mongolia
Materials: yak, cashmere goat, horse, Bactrian camel, sheep, branch
Techniques: felting, crochet, embroidery
Size: 50” x 97”
Created by talented Mongolian Artists husband and wife, Togmidshiirev Enkhbold and Munguntsetseg Lkhagvasuren, this gorgeous textile art piece is a celebration of Mongolia’s non-petroleum textile alternatives.
Togmidshiirev Enkhbold, is a prominent urban based artist whose work addresses contemporary Mongolian issues like mining and pollution. His large scale canvases are created using dung, felt, shrubs, ash, rust, animal skin and tripe. His wife, artist Munguntstetseg Lkhagwasuren, works in many forms of media including horsehair fiber sculpture.
These two artists journeyed across the expansive Mongolian landscape, from the yak herds of the Khangai mountains to the Bactrian camels of the vast Gobi desert. Along the way they gathered materials from what is known as Mongolia’s 5 Fiber Jewels -- the sheep, yak, camel, goat and horses—and created this one-of-a-kind precious biodegradable felt quilt.
During their journey, the artists gained deep insight into the ecological relationship between the herders, their animals and feltmaking. Recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, this 3000 year-old tradition remains a living art. Enkbold and Munguntsetseg met with nomadic herdsmen, and shared discussions about petroleum fiber pollution, the health of the land, and the ecological symbioses that keeps them alive in such extreme temperatures ranging from -45F to 112F. The reverence for these animals and the age-old textile tradition of feltmaking is beautifully shared in this Mongolian poem.
May the felt be stronger than bone
And whiter than fresh snow
May the shears be sharp
May the fleece be fluffy or
May the shears be sharp
May the sheared sheep
Be tens or hundreds of thousands
May the dust from these sheep
Rise up to the sky
* This quilt was on view at the 2022 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. During the festival, Togmidshiirev Enkhbold led a performance piece on the National Mall.
