‘The Power of Choosing’

ABOUT

'Akllay Kallpawan' is a project that aims to work with Peruvian artisans in the hope of introducing their work into new areas. We believe that the fabrics have the potential to act as part of the functionality and not just for decorative purposes like in most cases.

Our goal is to share the value of these textiles by providing knowledge about them through a piece of furniture, while empowering the artisans by including them in the assembling and decision making processes.

Chinchero is a small rustic town that is located approximately 40 min by car from the city of Cusco and is the home to famous Peruvian weavings. The artisans’ living income derives mainly from tourists who purchase their traditional work. They entertain tourists with weaving demonstrations, showing them how to dye the wool, spin and weave the threads.

Weaving is a traditional skill that has been part of Peru’s identity for hundreds of years. It forms part of the garments and household items of the Quechua speaking Andean people. Besides being a skill, weaving has served as an instrument of communication for many years. Quechua used to be only a spoken language and through textiles, people found a way to pass stories and meaning to next generations and communities.

The system is focused mainly in supporting localism and being environmentally mindful. The product’s wood components are made of pine, which is the second most available wood in the region of Cusco. The pieces would be individually manufactured at a local wood shop and then distributed to the artisans’ work centre in Chinchero. Andean people take care of the world that surrounds them. They put that awareness into practice through their work, dyeing and washing the wool with natural plants and minerals, all hand done. Supporting localism gives us the chance to go along with the artisans’ beliefs and respect their culture and lifestyle.

This piece of furniture can act as a stool, side table or even storage. The way this product is assembled is by using the woven piece as the joint. Each wood slab counts with 2 slots that allow the fabric to be woven into them to create the joint. This is also possible due to the angled cuts at both sides of the wood slabs, forming a cylinder when jointed.

The two lids easily come out and allow the user to roll the wood slabs or lay them flat for transporting purposes. Given the context of Cusco, this stool is perfect for tourists to fit in their carry-ons. Lastly, each stool comes with info sheets that provide the users with information about the specific fabric and its symbology, its maker and their work centre located in the town of Chinchero. In this way, wherever the stool might go, the diverse users can learn about part of the Peruvian culture and hopefully appreciate the practice of weaving as part of a culture that goes beyond decoration.

This project started with the idea of empowering women. The female artisans are responsible in choosing what designs or colours to use when being provided with the product, which acts as a ‘white canvas’. Without them, the system can’t exist.

‘Akllay Kallpawan’ Quechua for ‘The power of choosing’