Graduiertenkolloquium

Understanding Nature as a construction of cultural identity in hand embroidery: the case of Cartago, Colombia

Considering art as a manifestation that, in greater or lesser degrees, tells us about the culture and identity of a community, this artistic research reiterates the importance of the territory and the richness of its nature –the environment and biodiversity– as a necessary study in the field of the arts and crafts. Thus, this research focuses on Colombian cultural identity represented through vegetation motifs in the traditional art of hand embroidery in Cartago (Colombia), taking hand embroidery of Oaxaca City (Mexico) as primary reference. In this scenario, the following research questions will be asked:

·      How has the representation of vegetation in hand embroidery contributed to the cultural identity of Cartago (Colombia) and Oaxaca City (Mexico)?

·      How can the embroiderers of Cartago (Colombia) aim to reinforcing Colombian cultural identity through their practice?

Hand embroidery in Colombia was brought and taught by Spaniards in the Colonial Period and today mestizo communities mainly produce it in Cartago, a city located in the southwest of Colombia. Embroidery has been transmitted from generation to generation, and that is why it is deemed a living art (Bustos, 1989). Within the past years, embroiderers have conducted embroidery programs in schools, cultural institutions and even the city jail. For the most part, however, they produce their products basically as a means of subsistence (Handicrafts of Colombia Institution, 2001) and perhaps that is why this traditional art has had little changes since Spanish colonization.

Embroiderers seldom incorporate Colombian vegetation in their designs. They often reproduce design patterns taken from magazines, costume jewelry stores (Bustos, 1989) or the Internet, which are schematic images of a nature that could belong anywhere. According to Celmira Henao (personal communication), ex-director of the embroidery association Pro-Bordados of Cartago, research and workshops for the embroidery community conducted so far by different entities like Artesanías de Colombia (Colombian Crafts) or Fundación Ave Fenix (Ave Fenix Foundation) have especially highlighted embroidery techniques, production and the design of garments. However, visual representation in hand embroidery, its content and design of motifs, has been given little attention. My research responds to the need for a deeper analysis of visual representation in Cartago’s hand embroidery with particular emphasis on the use of vegetation motifs to assessing its importance and cultural value.

In contrast, Mexican hand embroidery dates back to pre-Hispanic times and has been crafted mostly by Indigenous communities that enrich it with their ancestral knowledge and understanding of the universe closely connected to nature. In Oaxaca City, many textiles are brought for display and sale, although most of them are woven and embroidered in other cities, towns and surrounding villages (Takahashi, 2003). These textiles have a rich design and technique thanks to the diversity of Indigenous populations in the state of Oaxaca. Some of the indigenous communities wear them as traditional costumes in daily life, festive and ceremonial occasions (Lechuga, 1995, Hesterberg, 1995). In the face of globalization and mass garment production at low cost, some craftspeople in Oaxaca have decided to rescue the designs that have represented the worldview of their ancestors for centuries. In addition, they want to preserve the natural methods of dyeing that have fallen into disuse (Sayer, 1996). Because of the initiative of indigenous craftspeople and the unique characteristics of their craft, Oaxaca textiles have become a symbol of Mexican identity. With great pride, they are worn by Mexicans and foreigners attracted to their amazing shapes and colors (Takahashi, 2003).

This research project analyzes the presence of vegetation as a symbol of cultural identity in hand embroidery of Cartago (Colombia) and Oaxaca City (Mexico). For the understanding of the current situation of hand embroidery in both territories and the formulation of this proposal, a historical overview has been undertaken. Hand embroidery in Mexico is an indispensable source for this analysis: the fantastic universe of images, forms and iconography, signs and signals, have been maintained over time, becoming a significant contribution to universal culture (Gómez, 2010). Similarly, hand embroidery in Cartago possesses a delicate technique that has been kept alive, but unlike Mexican embroidery, it does not refer to the richness of local vegetation in its visual representation. Taking Oaxaca City´s hand embroidery as primary source, this artistic research aims to incorporate local vegetation as a symbol of Colombian cultural identity in hand embroidery of Cartago (Colombia).

Preliminary work and current work status

In 2016 I was awarded the Arts and Traditional Crafts Award, conferred by the Government of Cali (Colombia) for my project Flora.  In this project, I proposed the incorporation of local vegetation as the subject of visual representation in traditional hand embroidery of Cartago, which is located in the same province as my hometown Cali. By doing so, I aimed at highlighting Colombian cultural identity through its flora and one of the country’s best-recognized crafts. In the first phase of this pilot project, I consulted relevant literature about cultural identity, arts and crafts, the history of hand embroidery in Cartago (Colombia) and Oaxaca City (Mexico) as well as the current political, economic and cultural contexts of both territories. Meanwhile, I began my creative practice by selecting five flowers that grow in Cali, Cartago and their surroundings based on the traditional significance they have for their inhabitants. I photographed and sketched these flowers and designed five floral motifs for their translation into the language of embroidery.  The second phase of Flora encompassed a collaborative work with the embroiderers of Cartago, which involved the adjustment of the floral motifs and the embroidery of the final designs. In this creative process, I learned about the embroiderers’ work and activities –including embroidery workshops in the city jail and schools–, as a means of passing on this tradition to new generations. Flora was the pilot project for the present research and it now provides the basis for its methodology.

After this project, I photographed different patios or gardens in houses of Cali. Furthermore, I interviewed some of the owners of these houses for collecting the popular knowledge of plants in Cali, including ornamentation, medical attributions and myths of the plants they have in their patios or gardens.

In the first semester of the PhD program at the Bauhaus University, I analyzed relevant literature and extracted citations for the theoretical framework of this research. Additionally, I reviewed my previous work Flora and analyzed the collaborative work with the embroiderers of Cartago for the field study with this community in this research.