We Are a Weaving of Gazes
Romelia Papue from the Kichwa nation and Manuela Omari from the Waorani nation are two artists committed to transforming our gazes: how we see and notice the world we walk through.
They are both part of the Mujeres Mirando (Women Looking) collective, dedicated to photographing and portraying the Amazon through the perspectives of Indigenous women.
Among many methods, Romelia and Manuela work with foto-bordado (photo-embroidery), a technique where photographs are intervened with stitchings of chambira palm fibers.
Chambira weaving and embroidery are traditionally practiced by communities in the Amazon, and by stitching photographs, Mujeres Mirando work to dialogue between the past and present, between tradition and memory.
“For me, weaving a photograph is deconstructing a photograph. You take what is supposedly ‘perfect’, and through photo-embroidery you start telling another story.” Romelia Papue
By encouraging young artists to experiment with diverse tools and ancestral techniques in their work, Romelia and Manuela want to open space for new narratives to emerge.
In early May, our Storytelling School invited to share their creative methods with our latest cohort of storytellers.
“This encounter allows us to continue building ourselves as women, to keep sharing the knowledges our people have and make a cultural tapestry.” Romelia Papue
“I hope that the young women, through the different workshops they will do, can find the path of what fills them with passion, and can see other ways of telling stories. Their own paths.” Romelia Papue
“I never imagined that I could embroider over the photographs, using materials from our communities.” – Judy Payaguaje
“My own photo communicates that in our nations, there are women who are still shamans, who through their powers take care of the territory, our culture.” Magdalena Quenamá
“The sisterhood we had during our encounter was beautiful, because like this we will keep weaving together, and telling unique stories that are born from our hearts.” Milena Piaguaje
“There are many things inside the territory that we don’t value, but slowly, through these exchanges of knowledge, we learn and revalue our own roots.” Tamara Alvarado
