l'aviva travels

l'aviva home interviewed on cloth & kind...

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:12:17 -0500

l'aviva home interviewed on cloth & kind...

our newest collection: alpaca pillows from the highlands of...

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 21:22:00 -0400

our newest collection: alpaca pillows from the highlands of bolivia. inspired by our favorite vintage frazada blankets, the weaving of these pieces draws upon one of the remaining vestiges of traditional andean culture. made from luxe, heavy-weave alpaca – a fabric once deemed so opulent it was reserved for use solely by incan royalty – the pillows exemplify the distinctive symmetry and individualized detailing we find so compelling in the traditional frazada textiles that we have long sourced for l’aviva home.

a mainstay of their daily life, the aymara women have been hand-weaving frazada blankets since pre-hispanic times. in vibrant contrast to the harsh and muted landscape of their home in the upper andes, these textiles stand out for their bold coloring and graphic, striped patterning.

there’s something essential woven deep into this fabric. for hundreds of years, the aymara have used their wool and alpaca frazadas to help shield against the cold winds of the altiplano and to serve as picnic blankets upon which to share midday communal meals. the importance of the fabric, however, goes beyond the practical, as the individualized colors and designs of each piece serve as a dynamic expression of its maker’s family lineage and local identity.

unfortunately, these extraordinary handmade pieces are becoming ever-more scarce. in recent years, the price of the wool and alpaca used to weave the frazadas has risen to the point that it’s become prohibitive for the aymara to continue making them for their own use. mass produced fabrications made from less-expensive, artificial materials are fast becoming the new standard.

a love for the simple elegance of traditional frazadas, coupled with an appreciation for the threat that now exists to the continuity of that tradition, has inspired our partnership with villa esperanza, a group of weavers from the town of challapata (in conjunction with the phenomenal organization ayni bolivia - thank you eduardo + vania!) to create a first-of-its-kind pillow collection. our collaboration draws on the enduring elements of this vital art form, capturing the graceful minimalism of traditional frazadas. our pillows maintain the striking graphic design, vivid coloring, and embroidery detailing we find so compelling in the weavings that inspired them. and it is my hope that this project can play a small part in helping to carry forward the inspiring legacy of this rich andean tradition.

oaxaca trip to celebrate dia de los muertos = 2 weeks and...

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 10:44:00 -0400

oaxaca trip to celebrate dia de los muertos = 2 weeks and counting!

the impetus for this most recent trip to bolivia was a desire to...

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 01:16:00 -0400

the impetus for this most recent trip to bolivia was a desire to grow our partnership with the community of women that makes l’aviva home’s incredible hammocks. i was introduced to these hamacas atadas on my last trip to bolivia and have been captivated by them ever since.

each requires a month of careful work to complete. the process – which has slowly evolved over centuries – is totally unique, not only to the country or region but to the work of this specific group of women. hand-spun cord is woven on horizontal looms to create a kind of fused macramé. a crocheted lace pattern is added to line the sides while braids and tassels are attached to finish the traditional hanging beds, used throughout the region since the pre-columbian era.

the women who make the hammocks are guarayos - one of the indigenous groups in tropical bolivia – and they live in the remote town of urubichá. the village lays alongside the rio blanco, on the approach to the bolivian amazon. it takes six hours by car over mostly unpaved roads to get there from santa cruz.

working with these ladies over the course of the last year via remote, i became increasingly intrigued by their story. i wanted to learn more about who they were and how they were creating something so refined and elegant in such an isolated spot. i felt drawn to forge a deeper connection, to visit them and work with them in the hope that we could make something new together.

so i set off for urubichá, with friend claudia mercado (a bolivian jewelry designer) in tow, to see how we might be able to build on the foundation of these designs as we created other outlets through which these talented women could carry their tradition into the future.

peering through the open doors of the town’s thatched-roof homes, one sees looms for weaving hammocks at almost every turn. this used to be a common sight throughout the region but today it’s almost wholly unique to urubichá - a vestige of the community’s heritage that’s been protected by its isolation.

unfortunately, very few women still use the looms to create the hamaca atadas. there just hasn’t been a demand for them, given how challenging and expensive they are to produce. raw materials are scarce. the cotton needs to come from brazil. it’s incredibly time-consuming. and, due to cost, the ladies are not able to find a local market for the products.

working together in urubichá, our project was at its core one of translation — to come to understand the process and tradition of the women’s craft enough to match the structure and spirit of the hamaca atada to the construction of some original pieces.

we set about defining those elements that made these hammocks and their design so distinctive. in doing so, we focused on the bold graphics of the patterning, the heft of the threading, and the knotted style of weaving.

and drawing on these elements, we developed the outlines for luxe oversized bags and bedcovers/throws that really embody the spirit and sensibility of their inspiration. they retain the bold design and relaxed refinement that make the hammocks so special to begin with.

to work with these women to evolve such a longstanding tradition was inspiring and i’m excited to see how the seeds that we’ve planted will come to be.

for several years now, we have been working with sofia, a woman...

Fri, 11 May 2012 10:28:48 -0400

for several years now, we have been working with sofia, a woman here in la paz who sources vintage frazadas - blankets woven by the aymara people - for l’aviva home. she’s continually on the lookout for special pieces for us, and we adore working with her. (along with friend adriana, who bridges some of the logistical and technical bits of the process). l’aviva home’s ‘team la paz’.

when i come to bolivia, i visit sofia in her home in el alto (an outgrowth of la paz which sits high above the rest of the city) - a world unto itself. it’s here that sofia guards her most coveted finds.

frazadas have traditionally been made by the aymara for their homes and daily use - they protect against the high-altitude cold, and are used as ‘picnic’ blankets upon which the aymara eat their mid-day meal working in the alto plano.

the more frazadas i see, the more i am struck by how seemingly endless the procession of colors and woven details and pattern variations is. it occurs to me that i cannot think of another woven tradition in which there is such incredible variety within the form. beyond a few very basic parameters (frazadas are made in two symmetrical panels, each limited by the width of the loom, and joined together by a central seam), there seems to be no dictates followed in terms of design. each frazada is wholly individual.

the price of wool + alpaca has risen in recent years to the extent that it’s become prohibitive for the aymara to continue makingthese pieces for their own use - instead, they are often turning to less expensive, mass-produced pieces made from artificial materials.

consequently, this tradition - one of the mainstays of aymara life - is in danger of dying out.

we’ll continue to include the vintage frazadas in our collections for as long as sofia is able to find incredibly lovely ones for us.

on this trip, we have also begun to look at moving forward. we have planted the seeds for a new collaboration, in which we will begin to work with a group here in bolivia who will be making cushions for us - new pieces, from alpaca, based on traditional frazada designs. this project will be done in conjunction with ayni bolivia, an inspiring organization based here in la paz that i am excited to work with. we’ll provide the artisans with certain color and size parameters - but, beyond that, the artisans will design the pieces, each individual, based on their own visions - in keeping with the sense of individual expression inherent in the frazada tradition.

an incredible first day in la paz…

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:04:09 -0400

an incredible first day in la paz…

next up: bolivia!

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:29:25 -0400

next up: bolivia!

a selection of hauntingly beautiful images from our visit to...

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:33:00 -0400

a selection of hauntingly beautiful images from our visit to chichicastenango market this weekend by lovely + talented friend courtney hardt…

here in guatemala, amidst the many new discoveries, i’m...

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 21:42:00 -0400

here in guatemala, amidst the many new discoveries, i’m obsessing over three things: natural indigo dye, ixcaco cotton, and pom poms!

guatamalan snippets

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:15:00 -0400

guatamalan snippets

Photo

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:38:05 -0400

el camino de los altos

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:32:29 -0400

el camino de los altos

experiments with our new dyes in kochkor…

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 08:54:00 -0400

experiments with our new dyes in kochkor…

buneesa, who is living at the home of the friend i am staying...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:10:00 -0400

buneesa, who is living at the home of the friend i am staying with while in bishkek, dressed herself in her most precious traditional-wear while i was working at my computer this morning - and then came thru to pantomime that she wanted me to take photos of her. so we did a little impromptu photo shoot. she was very serious about her role as a model. and then giggled endlessly when she saw the images…

the lovely ms. kenji, magical in so many ways. shaman, healer,...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:19:00 -0400

the lovely ms. kenji, magical in so many ways. shaman, healer, trainer, tradition-keeper. her knowledge of ancient kyrgyz symbols + motifs runs deep, passed down through her matrilineal line. the youngest of 15 children, her mother had a vision in a dream and chose her from amongst her siblings to be the carrier of the most sacred of the family’s ancestral gifts. a treat to spend the day with her, translating patterns and developing new ones for pieces to come…

MEAT GIRLZ i’m back in kyrgyzstan, for a week of working...

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:10:00 -0400

MEAT GIRLZ

i’m back in kyrgyzstan, for a week of working with our shyrdak artisans; on patterns, on dyes, on materials… very excited to be here. i love to launch my trips here with a visit to bishkek’s osh bazaar, one of my favorite-ever destinations (text from last year’s blog entry/visit is italicized below). yesterday, i spent time with these ever-so-glamorous, sausage-selling russian ladies. we toasted with vodka (which they keep in steady supply via large vats stored beneath the counter).

we then toasted to a succession of other things (the details of which are a little fuzzy in the retelling).

a fitting start to the trip. and the beginning of what is sure to be an oft-repeated ritual.

za zdorovie! (“to your health!” in russian). den-sooluk uchun! (the same, in kyrgyz).

osh market

to visit bishkek’s osh market is to witness the city’s vitality manifest itself in full force - it’s a true assault to the senses, in the very best of ways. beyond the somewhat mind-boggling array of offerings, it’s the mix of cultures and ethnicities represented that strikes most strongly. it’s a testament - in microcosmic form - to the incredible diversity present in the make-up of the kyrgyz nation.

on view, each in a distinct section: spices + vegetables from the dungans and uyrgurs (muslims from western china), dried fruits and nuts from the southern regions of kyrgyzstan, salads and assorted kimchee from the koreans, dairy + flowers from the turks (a catch-all term for the turkish and the armenians), meat + fish + honey from the russians… endlessly fascinating.

chip’s super mobiles…

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:58:28 -0500

chip’s super mobiles…

Photo

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 21:19:00 -0500

el camino de los altos

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 21:19:00 -0500

since plans for this trip to chiapas first began to take root some months back, one of the aspects i had been most eagerly anticipating was the opportunity to visit + spend time with the ladies from el camino de los altos - an association of 130 mayan weavers working together to preserve their ancestral art and to improve their social + economic conditions.

el camino de los altos is the realization of a seed first planted in 1996, when french textile designer véronique (véro) tesseraud began to work with women from different communities in the region, recruiting a cadre of long-time friends from home to pull forces with her on a volunteer basis, collaborating with the indigenous women around a collection of high-quality pieces based on pre-columbian textile traditions and techniques.

the association, which was born in 2009, is a cooperative formed of women from 5 local municipalities, each with their own distinct textile traditions. home base for the association is a new center here in san cristobal - a truly lovely space where the women can come to share ideas, learn new skills (both artistic and entrepreneurial), and participate in all aspects of the process of bringing their products to new markets.

the center/workshops feels very much like a place where magic happens. throughout the grounds, there is a sense of the real respect that the indian weavers and the french designers have for one another’s expertise. it’s not an easy balance to strike, and it’s a tremendous accomplishment, what the team + the mayan women are building together – a model of true collaboration. decisions are made collectively, and the women set the pricing for their pieces.

i’m super enthusiastic about developing l’aviva home’s relationship with el camino in the coming months. i’ll be writing more about the association, their position in the community, and the larger context of the evolving textile tradition in chiapas soon - there’s so very much to share.

a textile guide to the highlands of chiapas

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:49:00 -0500

time spent in chiapas thus far has been phenomenal - due, in no small part, to us having the super opportunity to spend time with the incredibly knowledgable and engaging chip morris. there may truly be no one as learned on - and passionate about - the local textile traditions and their ever-evolving place in the local culture.

chip’s brand new book, a textile guide to the highlands of chiapas, is only available here in mexico at this time. we’ve arranged, though, with the local publishers, to have a selection of the books available for purchase to u.s. customers via l’aviva home.

if you would like to receive a (signed!) copy, please email studio@lavivahome.com no later than sunday eve, and we’ll respond with payment details. the price is $45 + $15 shipping.

(chip’s prior book, living maya, is also available for purchase via amazon).