Tubular Cross Knotted Nasca

This 2024, I started a research project that I am very passionate about, on pre-loom textile techniques. In this project, I work with Yuki Seo to study knotted and ringed pieces at the AMANO Pre-Columbian Textile Museum, which welcomed us and allowed us to analyze the original pieces for workshop development.

The piece I am studying is a fragment with two superimposed anthropomorphic faces or masks woven in flat rings. From these faces, six tubular ring extensions emerge, each with a trophy head with small faces and long hair.

I began the study by recording the piece with drawings, photographs, and descriptive notes about the type of thread, number of points, dimensions, and understanding the weaving movement. This process is to understand the cross-knotted technique that creates three-dimensional beings, characters we no longer understand. Developing this piece has sparked much curiosity and respect for the artists of those times. I sought to understand the shape, colors, and texture, but I believe the most challenging part is understanding the meaning and relevance this community placed on creating volumes with personalities through weaving.

The workshop participants were interested in learning the technique and wove the exercises until they achieved weavings with very thin threads. But we also discussed the meaning and use of the piece, finding different interpretations and readings about what I will call masks and trophy heads… and we continue trying to understand 😊