'A CELEBRATION OF CLOTH, INTO CLAY'

An exhibition inspired by the intricately woven Baule cloths of Côte d’Ivoire and Kente cloths of the Ashanti and Ewe people in Ghana. Both these cloths serve as aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but are also interlaced with symbolism forming part of these nations identity. Traditionally worn for important ceremonial and spiritual occasions, often by royalty, elders, and community leaders. Beyond adornment, their woven patterns and colours communicate status, identity, history, and cultural values, serving as powerful visual symbols of West African heritage.

For this collaboration with Chandler House, I studied the intricacies of these woven patterns. Transposing the motifs from cloth to clay became an act of celebration, from fibre to earth. I limited the palette to three tones: indigo blue, orange, and the natural warmth of the clay itself. Historically, the hand-spun cotton used in both Kente and Baoulé weaving was dyed with natural pigments derived from fruits, bark and leaves producing vivid colours, including the iconic indigo - long associated with spiritual depth and prestige, traditionally extracted from the indigenous plants of Western Africa.

My intention for this exhibition is to celebrate these sacred textiles, which are deeply entwined with the cultural and spiritual identity of West Africa. I am in constant awe of the precision and delicacy achieved by master weavers working on looms often no wider than 10 centimetres. Each narrow strip is woven individually and later stitched together to form a larger cloth, creating a distinctive grid-like structure. Because of this meticulous, handwoven process, no two cloths are ever identical, much like my platters. See the full exhibition here.

The Legend of the Kente Cloth

There is a well-known legend that traces the origins of Kente cloth to a spider’s web. According to the story, two men came across a web shimmering in the moonlight, its layered structure forming an intricate, luminous pattern. The spider, Anansi, revealed the secrets of weaving to them, teaching them how to recreate the delicate designs with a single thread in return for completing certain tasks. Once they had mastered the craft, the men returned to Bonwire, a town in Ghana’s Ashanti region that is now regarded as the birthplace of Kente weaving. They presented their new textile to Osei Tutu, the first ruler of the Asante kingdom. He embraced the cloth, declaring it a royal textile reserved for special ceremonies. From that moment, Bonwire became the leading centre of Kente craftsmanship, serving the Asantehene and his court.