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Front side. Carpet handwoven by Rachida, based on a design by TxT students and the weavers of Amekhlij. Back side. Carpet handwoven by Rachida, based on a design by TxT students and the weavers of Amekhlij. TxT students discussing the drawings of the weavers' drawings. A mix of drawings and carpet designs. "Chicken", detail of a drawing by one of the weavers. TxT students and the weavers of Amekhlij in conversation with the help of an interpreter. One of the carpet designs (not executed); based on drawings by TxT students and the weavers of Amekhlij. The traditional Berber carpet weaving technique, as practiced by the weavers of Amekhlij.
In 2017, together with fellow students from the TxT department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, I went on a research trip to Morocco. An important part of that trip was a five day visit to Amekhlij; a small Berber village of 200 people 35 kilometers south of Marrakech. During the first days, we got introduced to the technique of traditional carpet weaving. For the second part of our visit, we invited the local weavers to draw with us. (The weavers normally start working from memory, rather than from a design on paper.) We then compiled their drawings to one singular design and commissioned the production of the carpet to Rachida, the principal weaver of the village. When it was ready, we decided to gift the carpet to Hamid, upon whose invitation we had initially come to Amekhlij.