VoA 16: Shawl talim transcribed by GW Leitner (1882)

At the heart of many traditional Kashmiri weaving practices lies the Talim, an ancient symbolic notation system from as early as 3000 BC that transforms weaving into a complex linguistic configuration. The writing and decoding of talim — which bear a notable resemblance to the punch-cards of early computing machines — is an ancient and long-cherished skill, requiring a keen eye and a total mastery mirrored in the physical weaving process. The coded instruction system originates from the Arabic word ta‘līm (تعليم), meaning “education” or “instruction,” and represents a sophisticated communication method where each section of a grid represents a small portion of carpet, with colors and patterns encoded in precise, rhythmic instructions that often require hundreds of weavers to complete.

The preparation of a Talim is itself an act of extraordinary attention: a design is meticulously mapped onto graph paper, with each square carefully branched into 25 sections, represented by a single knot. In some traditions, these instructions are transmitted through chanted melodies, creating a work of visual, tactile, and auditory precision.

PUBLISHED on instagram – “visions of attention” – SORA

EXTENSION: (not published)

For generations, weavers have been living interpreters of this complex code, seated at their looms awaiting the next line of instruction to complete a single rug. In recent years, however, AI and computer programming have accelerated this once-months-long dialogue between designer, Talim, and weaver into a rhythm more cooperative with modernity. 

Though the knotting and weaving remain done á la main, the code is now processed digitally – what once demanded prolonged, shared attention across time and bodies is now being encoded into our emerging systems of cognition. The ancient art of translating abstract symbols into tangible beauty is adapting to the speed – and soon, it’s said, the preferences – of today’s world, recasting generations of accumulated skill, concentration, and cultural memory on the stage of the ever-in-demand upgrade.