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Year Completed

2020

Abstract

The Emblems of Colonialism project is a part of the broader Pattern Research Projects created by design history and design studio faculty members, Emily Smith and Dr. Sara Reed. Students in VCU Interior Design were asked to examine a pattern or motif used on a decorative object or surface during the colonial era in the Americas. During the 15th through 18th centuries, a period of colonialism forced new relationships between European countries and places in what is now known as North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. This project explores how colonial era patterns reveal power structures, othering, and the migration of design ideas.

Hallie Gillespie, VCU Interior Design MFA 2022, selected the Mudejar Bookcase for the 2020 Emblems of Colonialism Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student's work.

"Painted in a striking red and gold chinoiserie style, in keeping with an achinadotradition in which Latin American artists borrowed and embellished Chinese and Japanese styles of furniture, china, silver, and textiles that had been imported from Manila to Acapulco during the 250 years of the Manila Galleon trade".

Color

brown, yellow, red, other, orange

Craft

carpentry, stenciling, other

Tools

Inlay

Material

Inlaid Wood, Incised + Painted Bone, Maque, Metal

Function/Use

other

Pattern's Place of Origin

Spain

Pattern Design Era

Mid-18th Centuery

Design

Mudejar, Chinoserie Map

Disciplines

Interior Design

Department

VCUarts, Dept. of Interior Design

Rights

© The Author

Pattern Research Project: Emblems of Colonialism - Mudejar Bookcase

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