Untangling Threads: The Birth of the Project By Alia Kate Ever since I began importing Moroccan carpets in 2008 with my fair trade business, Kantara Crafts, I have sought to not only inspire a growing appreciation for Moroccan weaving in the United States, but I have also been committed to raising awareness about Moroccan culture in the US. My desire to change perceptions so that the rugs are seen as art and the weavers as artists was the beginning of it all; one phone call and 10 months later I was ready with Untangling Threads: Women Artisans in Morocco’s Rug Weaving Industry, a unique exhibition featuring handwoven Moroccan rugs alongside photographs of the women who weaved them. The phone call that began this adventure was to my documentary photographer friend, Anna Beeke— I had an idea: what if Anna were to come along with me on my next trip to Morocco so that we could document the lives of the weavers and eventually create a cross-disciplinary exhibit that would be unconventional yet at the same time educational, combining her photographs of Moroccan women weavers with their rugs? To make a long story short, that glimmer of an idea took form quickly. Over the next several months Anna and I set our itinerary and focused on what we hoped to accomplish in Morocco. Through Kantara, I had already established a deep relationship with the artisans but this was the first time I had ever brought anyone along with me. Furthermore, knowing about Moroccans’ apprehension of photographs (both for their mystical soul-stealing powers as well as their more real tendency to appear on the internet in pornographic mashups), I had no idea how the women would react to Anna, who touted two large cameras everywhere. Whatever fears I had were quickly allayed as I realized that the artisans’ generosity coupled with Anna’s sensitivity and curiosity made for an ideal situation. We were welcomed into the artisans’ cooperatives and homes; in addition to being offered food and some three hundred cups of tea, we were also offered a glimpse into their daily lives. Traveling from village to village, Anna and I spent three weeks meandering through the Atlas mountains and desert plains, visiting different women’s weaving cooperatives, watching the artisans card and spin wool, and participating in memorable community events with the artisans. Initially we had hoped to create a project that would expose the inherent injustices in Morocco’s carpet weaving industry. After having returned from our three weeks in Morocco, though, it was clear that we had captured a much different story. At its core, Untangling Threads is about women weavers working in rural Morocco. On the one hand it showcases their artistry through their rugs and kilims, and on the other hand it offers audiences in the United States a glimpse into the way these women live their lives, both within and outside of the weaving cooperatives. In some cases, the two are inseparable. Ultimately, Untangling Threads transmits the humanity of the artisans as they maintain a craft that has endured centuries and as they fight against all odds to keep their craft pertinent in a globalizing world. Now on the eve of our two gallery exhibits, we recognize that this is an ongoing project that has only just begun. We hope to return to Morocco several more times to follow up and expand this project as both an educational tool as well as comprehensive exhibit-- after all, we have a lot of threads to untangle still. Untangling_Threads__Contact.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0
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Untangling Threads

women artisans in morocco’s rug weaving industry