visit to Amekhlij

exchange
2017

How to initiate an exchange with fellow weavers? During my studies at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, I joined a research trip to Amekhlij, a small Berber village of ca. 200 people, 35 kilometers south of Marrakech. As a group of textile students, our aim was to establish an exchange with Amekhlij’s local weaving community. During the first days of the visit, the weavers shared their unique way of working with us. We also learned that they weave from memory and use motifs that have been passed down to them, usually not being aware (anymore) what they signify. During the following days, we invited the women weavers to make drawings of their everyday life and of things they love.

We compiled their drawings to one singular design. This design was then woven by Rachida, the principal weaver of the village. The finalized carpet, our commission, was a gift to Hamid, who had invited us to come to Amekhlij.

Photos of the research process. Traditional carpet weaving (top left), drawings by the local weavers (top right, middle, bottom left), and the finalized carpet for Hamid (right bottom).

contact

message me
instagram

about

I am a textile artist, researcher, and writer based in Amsterdam. Through my work runs a tangible thread that is spun from questions about materials, hierarchies, traditions, patterns, shapes, and their relations. By means of artistic research, I aim to unravel them and investigate their potential to be interlaced in new ways.

read more | commissioned projects