"Meliponicultura": Stories and Knowledge Exchange
Interwoven Moves
A Two-Day Henequen Weaving Workshop and Performance with Rafiki Sánchez on the 18th and 19th of February
18. February 2023
10.00-18.00
10.00-18.00
Save the Date
For free
for adults
in German/in English
This two-day henequen weaving session with artist Rafiki Sánchez starts with weaving henequen together and surpasses the technique, to create a space for performance and storytelling among the participants.
The technique of henequen weaving is native to the Yucatán Peninsula, where the fibre is extracted from the henequen plant–a kind of agave, using a tool that cuts through the surface layers of the plant. The workshop explores how this extremely strong fibre can be woven into all kinds of objects. During the workshop, the participants will develop a collective performance, focussing on intuitive design in a constant flow of movement and dialogues, acknowledging individual gestures that internalize the experience of personal memory of weaving.
The presence of henequen invokes the past of monoculture plantation, and its impact on the Maya community in Yucatán, the historic exploitation of land, and the manner in which henequen workers were bound to land loss and debt peonage. Over time, weavers have sustained the community by transferring skills from one generation to the other. The workshop explores the many forms that social support can take in this process of retaining knowledge, including committed practice, ethical care, and emotional entanglement in some form of trust and love for the labor.
The number of participants in this workshop is limited. If you want to participate, please register by February the 14th.
