Meet the makers | Usiacuri, Atlantico
There are approximately 20 registered artisans in the rural hilly town of Usicurí in the Atlantico region, about 40km from Barranquilla.
Each expert artisan pours all their love, life and experience into each corner of the woven piece. This means that every item is completely unique and individual, and has their own magical quality to them.
Your purchase is helping the artisan community to grow, transform and thrive, in this small corner of Colombia.
How the products are made:
Pieces are made from the iraca palm, which is grown, dried and transported to Usiacurí. They are then dyed by hand into any colour desired, or left naturally.
Step 1: The dyeing process
In a cauldron-like vessel over burning log fire, water is heated to boiling temperature and the palm leaves are washed in detergent to remove the grease. The pot is then re-filled and boiled again, adding in the dyes, which are mixed like a science to produce the exact colour the artisan desires.
Once the palm leaves are dyed, they are then hung up to dry on the washing line. This process is all done manually.
Step 2: Metal welding
Depending on the design, some pieces require a metal wire frame structure to be made as the base for weaving.
Sometimes, artisans work with metal welders to create their designs, and sometimes the artisans do it themselves in-house, like Edilsa (pictured in this blog post).
What is refreshing is that not all men are welders, and women weavers. There is a lot of crossover in the roles and a ‘can do’ attitude.
Step 3: Weaving
Once the palm is dyed and dried, and the metal structure is ready, the artisan then weaves the piece. The creativity with the type of weaving is astonding - stars, stripes, intricate cross-over stitches. There are classic techniques, and the ‘caracol’ (snail) design is the traditional design of the town.
Each piece can take days to complete depending on the intricacy of the design. Artisans sometimes work with sisters, daughters, mothers and friends to pull together and fulfill your order.
Photographs by Sayrui Duque and Freny Green.