by Memori Studio

• Wool and oil paint
• Handmade in Morocco
• Dimensions: 44 by 44 cm

Editor's note:

A unique, textile art piece of handspun and handwoven wool scraps, henna dye, and oil paint by the Feija Tribe in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas.

The Anti-Atlas region considers Henna a sacred plant and protective talisman. It appears to be one of the only regions in the world that uses henna to decorate textiles. The range of colors goes from pale orange to dark brown, depending on the duration per application and the number of layers. If you look carefully, you will see examples of this in buildings around the region, as well as in gradiations across your Zellige I piece.

Provenance:

In the Anti-Atlas, the Feija are one of the oldest Berber tribes. Until the early 2000's, their village - landlocked by mountains - was only only accessible on foot or accompanied by mules. It is a village mostly of women, as the lack of work force men to leave for bigger cities. It is in this landlocked village that the women weavers pass from generation to generation, mother to daughter, the ancestral tradition of creating henna-painted, wool veils. These women are the guardian of this creation - one of the few remaining villages in Morocco where women still handspin using heritage techniques with such finesse.