Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Ellie Goes To Peru!

Many of those who know me or follow me on my social media accounts will know that I have luckily  been selected to volunteer in Peru for 12 months beginning August 2015. Now I'm not gonna bore you about all the details what I really wanted to do is talk about Peru's culture.

Peru is a beautiful country home to the source of the Amazon River, Machu Pichu and the Andes. My main interest within Peru is it's artistic traditions of elaborate pottery, jewelry, sculptures and, my favourite, textiles. Weaving has been part of the Peruvian culture for thousands of years. Weaving is often used for more decorative purposes now-a-days however the Incan people of Peru use the weavings as a way to pass on knowledge and skill.



Alpacas, which are the domesticated species of South American camelids, are known for their rich fibre which is used to make knitted and woven items similar to sheep's wool. These items make a wide variety of garments such as; hats, jumpers, gloves, scarves etc. However this wool wasn't just used for garments to keep warm. The fibres were dyed and woven into specific patterns that represented the families and regions where they were made. It was also a way of showing the nobility's wealth.

But what were these patterns of?
As the people of Peru lived in harmony with nature then many of the images in their designs reflect nature. Popular designs like flowers, stars, the sun and river can still be seen in more modern woven works today.

Can't see yourself in a Peruvian weaved garment this winter? No? Think again!

Now look these STUNNING Mario Testino bags, how vibrant are those colours? Beautiful, right? now you can see in these printed totes and clutch the intricate patterns within Peruvian clothing. The images you can see are photography from Testino's recent Alta Moda exhibition that depicted life in native Peru.  Teamed together with exciting pom-pom tassels and trims the images work fantastic in showing traditional Peruvian textiles in a modern and western way.

Definitely would love to get my hands on one of these beauties before I go to Peru!

For more information regarding my trip to Peru you can check out my Facebook page Ellie Goes To Peru where you can see how my fundraising is going and exactly what I'll be doing there! 

2 comments:

  1. Nice! I hope you'll let us know about your experiences you will make over there :-)
    artdicted2.blogspot.de/

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm sure I will do! Got plenty of fundraising to do before then though-fun! fun! fun!


    Ellie x

    ReplyDelete