Ladakh: PORTFOLIO ONE

For AD's textile special issue, collector and author Monisha Ahmed takes us to the Ladakh Arts and Media Organization (LAMO) in Leh and walks us through its history, its indigenous architecture, and her own private collection of Ladakhi textiles.

- Monisha Ahmed

Along with photographer Hashim Badani, she styles the Munshi and Gyaoo houses, the home of LAMO, with silk brocades and yak-wool covers spread over their courtyards and terraces, overlooking the spectacular landscape of the high-altitude desert. And in her own words, Ahmed tells us of her everlasting love for textiles.

Travel, diverse cultures, and indigenous textiles have always fascinated me. Especially fabrics that embody a layered history and resonate with the nuances of life, focusing on how people live with their textiles and what they mean to them.

I first came to Ladakh in 1987, with friend Shahnaz Rustomji, and we taught at the Moravian Mission School in Leh; studied Buddhist philosophy and Thangka painting at the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies. A year later I returned when I began my studies in Social Anthropology at Oxford University, first my masters and then doctorate. I had decided to study textiles in Ladakh and wanting to equip myself to better understand the method and technology of weaving, I spent time learning to weave with textile artist Nelly Sethna (AD's September October 2021 issue).