These weavers sing to remember the gestures to be performed

In Nanjing, the traditional manufacture of Yunjin brocade mobilizes two artisans on the high and low parts of a large loom. Silk can rub shoulders with precious materials, especially gold threads or from peacock feathers. The finished fabric conceals considerable mechanics and coordination.

The method includes more than a hundred operations, from the construction of the trade and the preparation of the patterns to the weaving. During their work, artisans can sing ballads that remind them of the techniques to be used. The memory of manufacturing also passes through the voice.

Once used for royal clothing, this know-how is still used to create contemporary textiles and to reproduce ancient fabrics for museums and researchers. The songs do not replace the mastery of the trade: they accompany its exercise. What seems to be a musical moment in the workplace therefore contributes to the preservation of a series of complex gestures.