PHILIPPA KELLY Ugandan Barkcloth Workshop
Textile consultant, Lesli Robertson, will soon be joining us via Zoom, for a virtual workshop exploring the history and potential of Ugandan barkcloth.
Lesli Robertson works at the intersection of cultural arts and contemporary design practice. Her textile studio, Mekeka Designs, works with expert artisans in Uganda to create beautiful loom-woven and plaited textiles from indigenous fibres, including lubugo, Ugandan barkcloth. Lesli taught textiles courses for over a dozen years and now specializes in woven and off-loom textile design and construction, working with companies and studios to bridge the gap between project conception and finished textile-based work.
During the workshop, Leslie will share her in-depth knowledge of barkcloth, while virtually travelling through videos and images of her journeys to Uganda, taken over the course of a dozen years. By exploring her archives of information, participants will see barkcloth pounded into supple cloth, “meet” contemporary designers and learn about its use in culture, from coronations to funerals.
Lesli will also lead participants through several creative projects to explore the potential of this material in design, including print, stitch, and deconstruction techniques. The workshop will begin with meditative approaches to making with this cloth from nature, then dive into very tactile explorations of the surface, and finally teach techniques to cut and layer the materials to create dimensional surfaces.
At the end of this workshop, participants will have several small, beautiful works that can adorn their homes and remind them of our connection to nature.
The price of the workshop includes your own barkcloth, which will be sent to you ahead of the class. For more information and a list of additional equipment required, visit our Workshops page.