I'm so glad you've joined me on Lights Out Library tonight.

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Now, a quick word from our our sponsors before tonight's story begins.

Hello everyone. I'm Olympia. Thank you for being here with me in this wonderful place called Lights Out Library, and I have a great story to tell you.

Tonight we're going to follow thousands of years of human history and travel to many places around

the world. Textiles are among the most important early inventions of mankind. They are not only

useful, especially for clothing, but they also reveal social customs, culture, aesthetics, and

technologies. Generation after generation, millions of our ancestors have worked at pressing or spinning

fibers, at weaving or knitting, at painting or embroidering.

We will talk about many different types of textiles, where they came from, and what they were used for, from the most current ones like cotton or wool, to the most precious silk.

Textiles are highly controlled creations, and they are often in this gray area between crafts, decoration, and art.

As you may know, the distinction between crafts and fine art or decorative arts is a modern concept.

For much of human history, artisans and artists were the same.

And even today, it is always enlightening to think of artisans as artists and vice versa.

To really understand what they do,

there is always a combination of physicality

and emotion or intellect.

But first, allow me to take a few seconds of your time

to let you know that we have a Patreon

page for those of you who wish to and can support this project.

Get more of it and listen, add free on your favorite podcast app.

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