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Ikat Sanitran
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Inspiration
The Mapuche people of Southern Chile have a strong textile tradition which is one of the most cohesive and distinctive in South America. Whilst a limited palette of colours were often used, some of the most striking examples were to be found in the ponchos worn by the Mapuche chiefs.
There are three distinct types of Mapuche chief's ponchos : 'wirikanmakun' or warp-striped; the 'niminmakun', embellished with elaborate complementary warp-patterned or double-cloth bands; and 'trarikanmakun', ikat-dyed which was the the most prestigious.
The ikat-dyed pieces are the rarest of the Mapuche textiles, accounting for perhaps only 2% of all Mapuche weavings. A single piece could take a specialist weaver up to a year to make. The bevelled planes of endless interlocking geometric motifs give palpable form to the concept of the infinite. The example shown illustrates the rare layout of an all-over stepped-cross pattern known as 'sanitran'
For more information, refer to : The 1994 Hali Annual - From The Infinite Blue: Mapuche Textiles from Southern Chile (Vanessa and Andres Moraga).
Details
dimensions of original : 16cm x 17cm (paper:40cm x 50cm)
medium : watercolours on paper
First Edition
