Project: A Journey in Clay and Cloth

Participatory art project in cooperation with the Nubuke Foundation in Ghana

"A Journey in Clay and Cloth" offers an exemplary insight into the multi-layered cooperation project between the department of Textiles - Free, Applied and Experimental Artistic Design (tex) at the Angewandte and the Nubuke Foundation in Ghana, which began in 2014 with the establishment of the Nubuke Centre for Textiles and Clay in Wa in Upper West Ghana. Since 2018, regular workshops have been held to involve local communities, weavers and especially students from the school for the blind and deaf in Wa in the center's activities.

"A Journey in Clay and Cloth" began in 2023 with a workshop by the Angewandte team (Karin Altmann, Barbara Putz-Plecko, Ute Neuber, Tristan Toé) at the school for the blind in Wa, in which pupils were invited to draw with graphite pencils on paper. In order for the pupils to be able to experience the movements of their own hands and develop them further as a creative process, their drawn lines were molded with clay. The trace of clay offered the hands the opportunity to "see", to comprehend and to initiate a dialogical process in which they alternately drew and reshaped.

In this ongoing process of shaping, reshaping and concentrating on the sensory perception of the hands, figures, small scenes and stories unfolded that tell of interpersonal relationships, the relationship to oneself and the connection to one's own environment. After the workshop, the clay works were photographed and translated into digital graphics.

In March 2024, Karin Altmann and Barbara Putz-Plecko continued their project by creating a textile print featuring colorful motifs that formed the basis for a collaborative embroidery workshop at the WOORI Festival 2024. During the festival, the print was embroidered by students from a school for the deaf, along with festival attendees, transforming it from a two-dimensional design into a three-dimensional, tactile artwork.

The choice of embroidery was deliberate, as it provides extensive creative freedom, is present in various cultures, and exhibits a wide range of characteristics. Textile activities has the ability to foster connections and communication beyond words. The term "textile" is derived from the Latin word texere, meaning "to join together," reflecting its essence of connection. At the conclusion of the festival, the completed embroidered textile was returned to the students from the school for the blind.