Notes from the Season: The Selvedge Team – Florencia Hurtado, Creative Director
Reflections on Artisan Nativity Scenes from Chile
Christmas is a very special time: a time for reflection, gratitude, closure and gathering. For some of us, it is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, represented through nativity scenes. The Nativity scene depicts the central trio—the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and the Baby Jesus—while the Crib recreates the entire scene, incorporating other characters, animals, and the traditional manger.
Nativity Scene from San José de la Mariquina, Chile
Chile, a long and diverse country, has a wide variety of landscapes which means that its crafts also vary greatly, with the raw materials and culture being very different from north to south.
Each artisan works with raw materials native to their territory. This manger, for example, is made from boqui pil pil fibre, collected by artisans from San José de la Mariquina, in the native forest of the Valdivian rainforest in southern Chile.
After crossing trails and ravines, the experienced eye distinguishes the plant. With their hands, they follow the root until they find the vine. Then, the rolls of boqui are soaked for days in the nearest spring, held down by heavy stones. Only when the water has removed the bark and the fibre has acquired its natural white colour is the material ready to be worked.
Tree by artesanías de chile.
The fibre is woven while keeping it moist, shaping a composition of handcrafted pieces that reflect the popular culture of the territory.
One of the iconic pieces created by the artisans of this area is “El Árbol de la Vida” made using the same ancestral technique.
“El árbol de la vida” (The tree of life) really connects with me because it represents how everything in life is woven together, just like the fibres that create it, with many branches and leaves. It reminds me that life is all about the people we meet, the relationships we build, the places we visit, and the moments and stories we share—all coming together to create something beautiful!
Written by Florencia Hurtado
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Image Credits:
Lead Image: Portrait of Florencia Hurtado by Alun Callender
Reflections on Artisan Nativity Scenes from Chile
Christmas is a very special time: a time for reflection, gratitude, closure and gathering. For some of us, it is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, represented through nativity scenes. The Nativity scene depicts the central trio—the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and the Baby Jesus—while the Crib recreates the entire scene, incorporating other characters, animals, and the traditional manger.
Nativity Scene from San José de la Mariquina, Chile
Chile, a long and diverse country, has a wide variety of landscapes which means that its crafts also vary greatly, with the raw materials and culture being very different from north to south.
Each artisan works with raw materials native to their territory. This manger, for example, is made from boqui pil pil fibre, collected by artisans from San José de la Mariquina, in the native forest of the Valdivian rainforest in southern Chile.
After crossing trails and ravines, the experienced eye distinguishes the plant. With their hands, they follow the root until they find the vine. Then, the rolls of boqui are soaked for days in the nearest spring, held down by heavy stones. Only when the water has removed the bark and the fibre has acquired its natural white colour is the material ready to be worked.
Tree by artesanías de chile.
The fibre is woven while keeping it moist, shaping a composition of handcrafted pieces that reflect the popular culture of the territory.
One of the iconic pieces created by the artisans of this area is “El Árbol de la Vida” made using the same ancestral technique.
“El árbol de la vida” (The tree of life) really connects with me because it represents how everything in life is woven together, just like the fibres that create it, with many branches and leaves. It reminds me that life is all about the people we meet, the relationships we build, the places we visit, and the moments and stories we share—all coming together to create something beautiful!
Written by Florencia Hurtado
-
Image Credits:
Lead Image: Portrait of Florencia Hurtado by Alun Callender