Mixed Media: Woven Abstractions of the Berber Women
Moroccan rugs will never cease to amaze me. After over twenty-five years of hunting and gathering the Maghreb, from the Atlantic coast to the Atlas mountains and the arid Saharan desert, I am still mesmerised by the sheer ingenuity and versatility of Berber textile art. In particular, the last two decades of the previous millennium have witnessed the arrival on the Moroccan scene of previously unknown woven species. Collecting this material, albeit of relatively recent vintage, has allowed for the recording of possibly the last wave of authentic rural weavings arising from a still-genuine indigenous tradition. The photograph taken at ‘circa 2000’ will likely prove to be a very significant one, in that it will document the cut-off point between collectable rugs indicative of the material culture of the Berber people and those which have been woven to satisfy the demands of a growing market.
Image: Rug with Polychrome Squares, Ourika Valley, Central High Atlas, circa 1980. Image above: Pillow Case with Anthropomorphic Figures, Gafsa region, Central Tunisia, circa 1900.
Image: Rug with Polychrome Squares, Ourika Valley, Central High Atlas, circa 1980. Image above: Pillow Case with Anthropomorphic Figures, Gafsa region, Central Tunisia, circa 1900.
Want to read more of this article?
We are proud to be a subscriber-funded publication with members in 185 countries. We know our readership is passionate about textiles, so we invite you to help us preserve and promote the stories, memories, and histories that fabric holds. Your support allows us to publish our magazine, and also ‘what's on’ information, and subscription interviews, reviews, and long-read articles in our online blog.
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? CLICK HERE TO ACCESS CONTENT
