THE ANTIGUA PROJECT
In the Summer of 2017 at the Museo Casa del Tejido Antigua I worked with local artisans at the Textile Museum in Antigua, Guatemala.
The Antigua Project is:
...a collaboration utilizing the contemporary sensibilities of the New York designers and the ancient traditional expertise of weavers, woodcarvers, carpenters, leatherworkers, a shoemaker, a welder and a silversmith.The environmentalist Paul Hawken writes in his book Blessed Unrest that there are many movements afoot on a small scale that are brewing all over the world which point to global change. He breaks the movements down into three major areas: environmental sustainability, social justice and preservation of indigenous people. As we become more and more mechanized and production and services are increasingly outsourced, these collaborative projects are a tribute to the makers who work with their hands and the traditions of culture that have been passed down for generations.
PROJECT 001
DENOTE :
Shoulder bag made from handpicked brown leather with a red tint.
The bag is designed and made in collaboration with Juan Carlos who is a local leatherworker from northern Guatemala. The buckles, lining, thread colors/type, and leather are all handpicked at Antigua markets.
PROJECT 002
Esmida :
A handwoven throw and a handwoven hanging decorative piece made from handpicked threads.
The two pieces of woven products were designed and made in collaboration with Esmida who is a local weaver from Antigua. The colors of the yarn were picked out by the designer at the local yarn store dyed with natural herbs, flowers, and insects.
From grinding to boiling to mixing the natural dyes, we created new colors to dye our hand spun yarn.
Both weavings are named after Esmida, the weaver who taught me the art of weaving, which is embedded deeply in the Guatemalan culture. Different weaving patterns tell specific stories about a location. In my design, I incorporated two Quetzals on each side which is the symbol of the nation and it is a sacred bird to the people of Guatemala. The three circles in the middle represent the setting of the sun in a day's time.
