The Pazyryk barrows froze solid soon after burial, so the soft half of Iron Age steppe culture survived: appliqué felt hangings, tussah silk, leather, the oldest knotted pile carpet known, and tattooed skin. The Siberian Ice Maiden came out of the Ukok permafrost with animal-style deer inked on shoulder, wrist and thumb.

This system takes the felt itself as its referent — undyed olive-khaki wool as the page, madder, cochineal and ochre figures cut flat and sewn down in bordered registers. Edges are scissored, not vectorised. Nothing here shines.