The Departure Cloth & Weaver's Stool
 

 

The Departure cloth & Weaver's Stool is part of the Kente Re-coded series. A collection of Woven textile experiments that mirror the symbolic language of Kente cloth. The series focuses on the re-contextualisation of what Kente is and can be.  

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 Departure is the first cloth in the series and is an experimental investigation of diaspora and Black British identity through the lens of Kente. It focuses on re-coding the language of Kente through its double cloth construction by pushing past & present manipulation techniques; that is reminiscent of the thrones of  Asante chiefs. Departure positions itself alongside the weaver stool, and together they symbolise what it means to be a female weaver in what has been historically a male-dominated craft. Recycled sari silk and cotton within the Departure Cloth reflect colonial trade history. As the colours employed within the cloth evoke a sense of tradition and considered approach to design as within the Kente weaving tradition, colour denotes the user's status. 

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