Quechua Textile Enthusiast and Conservator Sarah Confer will present fascinating textiles, and tell a vibrant story about life in the Andes.
One of the intriguing aspects of Peru’s culture today is the way in which modern advances are being applied to ancient traditions in order to help the latter thrive. At Threads of Peru, we work with the weaving communities of the high Andes using online marketing tools and techniques to empower artisans to continue their traditional way of life. That is to say, we use advanced technologies in order to support the endurance of an ancient lifestyle exactly as it is, as untainted as possible by extraneous influences.
My first invitation to visit a community that Threads of Peru works with came a couple of weeks after I started volunteering two mornings a week in the Cusco office.
The visit quickly disabused me of any notions I had had of how the textiles are made. I suppose I had thought, not very thoughtfully, that the process would be a more rustic version of a western association of weaving hobbyists. It is much more complicated and intricate than that.
