Profile
In June our guest was Natalie
Baranchala. She speaks Spanish and comes from Colombia. She arrived
in Australia last year. As she was unable to work in Australia as
a nurse, her partner, Ben Ball, suggested that she bring indigenous art
from Colombia to sell at various markets.
The mola works she showed us
is made by the Kumma community in Panama. Traditional dress is worn to
this day. Mola means 'dress'and is an evolution of body painting.
The Spanish enforced clothing when they conquered the islands. To
safe-keep their tradition the people decided to make clothes in the same
colourful colours as the paints they used.
The technique is taught from
generation to generation. Small blocks are made and worn on the front and
back of their clothes. They use designs inspired from nature
and life around them. Molas have from three to seven layers of fabric,
although seven is not common as it is very time consuming and very few
women specialise in it. To recognize a handmade mola check
the back – very fine but irregular stitches.
It was an extremely informative
and enjoyable morning. |
