I did an amazing little workshop with textile artist Chrisi Z (who I found on Airbnb experiences) who had some of her work displayed at the Lima Museum of Contemporary Art while I was there.

The Quipu (or Khipu) was a method used for accounting and record keeping by the Incas – each knot represents a number, and the amount of coils in each knot shows what the number is. Each string is colored to represent the subject in question.

We dyed the Cotton strings with natural clay dyes

The colors represent as follows:

Red – Life / Blood / Sacrifice / Offering

Yellow – Male / Sun / Gold / Daylight

Grey or White – Female / Moon / Silver / Night

Blue – Spirituality / Shaman / Healing

Brown – Earth / Beginnings / Nourishment

(from left)

Red: My Birthday,

Yellow: Dad’s Birthday

Grey: Mum’s Birthday

Grey: Sister’s Birthday

Brown: The date I arrived in Peru

Blue: My age now relating to my continued healing

And then a free string for the future, in each color (as I hope my future will be a balance of all the colors and elements of life)

Some pics from the Amano Museum in Lima.

:)

H x