I never planned to become an avid collector of Indonesia’s traditional textiles. In fact, I used to hate them. As a half Batak child, the rectangular, hand-woven ceremonial cloths called ulos reminded me of the torturous, lengthy weddings and funerals. Mourners don a piece of ulos as a shoulder cloth, and the most sacred type of ulos is often used to partly cover the deceased. It was too morbid, too depressing ... The rest is history (Addicted to Traditional Textiles/Magdalene. Ulos Bintang Maratur, cotton, warp ikat, early 20th century)