Query: *
"The Art of West African Strip-Woven Cloth" video and slides
1 Video recording ((12:25 min.) (VHS) , sound, color)
Photographs taken by Gavin Ashworth during the summer of 1987 in several villages in Mali and Cote d'Ivoire. The images detail all phases of strip weaving, from the spinning of yarn to the assemblage of the individual strips into large pieces. The still photographs were used in the video which was entitled, Patterns of Life: West-African Strip Weaving Traditions, produced by Caribiner, Inc. for the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1987. Text accompanying videos for sale reads, "In many areas of West Africa, fabric is woven in long narrow strips. The strips are cut to length and then sewn together to make rectangular cloths with striking geometric patterns. These beautiful cloths are worn as wrappers, shawls, and robes. Originally a slide presentation for an exhibition, the Art of West African Strip-Woven Cloth explores the creative activities of the various artisans involved in textile production: spinners, dyers, weavers, and sewers."