As seen in the previous post, tapestries can be used to tell architectural stories. Yet they can also be employed to create an educational narrative about our collective consumeristic attitudes and the impact they have on other people, as proved by Lauren Loïs Duah's "Obroni Wa'awu': Cross-Continental Clothesscapes" project at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice (until 26th November 2023).
In the Ghanaian Twi (or Akan) language, "Obroni Wa'awu'" indicates second-hand clothing, but its literal translation is far more remarkable as it means "someone must have died to let go of all these items".
This definition strikes at the core of our consciousness, making us realise that we often discard garments not in the face of our mortality, but in the throes of our existence.
Indeed, we cast them not when we die, but when we are alive, driven by boredom or swayed by the capricious currents of fashion, convincing ourselves that those colors, forms, and silhouettes are no longer en vogue. Yet, maybe, we are not truly alive in the present moment, but rather exist in a state of alienation and desire, as we crave for more clothes, heedless of the impact of our bad habits.
In recent years, however, the exploration of the clothing industry has transformed into a portal, granting us glimpses into the realms of labor, migration, and the intricate tapestry of supply chain economies.
These revelations have shown us that our habits have "cross-continental" consequences that prod us to embark on a transformative journey of mindful consumption.
Lauren Loïs Duah has carried out an extensive research on the spatial implications of capitalist overproduction.
For years she has focused on how architecture can respond to the issue of overconsumption, while researching textile making in Ghana (her background is in Textiles & Design, Fine Art and Literature), the weaving of Kente cloth, the use of Adinkra symbols and of wax-print cloth.
The tapestry on display at the Arsenale tries to unravel the seams of the clothing supply chain industry, showing how we as Western consumers have become alienated from the sites of production.
The piece explores the way fast fashion is underpinned by racial capitalism and the effect of the Global North's dirty laundry in creating these vast cross-continental clothesscapes in cities such as Accra, Ghana.
The tapestry was made using the processes of mapping the supply chain using architectural drawing techniques, traditional forms of oral storytelling and record-keeping through sound maps of conversations in the sites explored. In this way Lauren Loïs Duah created an alternative visual masterplan.
The story is told in vertical stripes, from the left to the right, starting with cotton harvesting, passing through clothes production and selling. Then it follows the second-hand clothes arriving in Ghana, being sold at Accra's Kantamanto Market, and eventually ending up in rivers and oceans.
Indeed, when the clothes can't be sold, they are discarded in Accra's landfill sites, that are currently overfilled. The upper layer of the landfills is often burnt, a practice that releases harmful gasses; in other cases, overflow spills in nearby waterways, polluting rivers, ending up in the ocean and washing up on the shores.
QR codes integrated in the tapestry allow to discover further stories, while dialogues present us with the point of view of the locals, stating "…when people look at Ghana they think Ghana is a refuse dump…"
Duah developed a visual language of colours, symbols and drawings to tell this story, creating her own Adinkra symbols for this project and including in the tapestry Kayayei (female porters) who are often referred to as the backbone of Kantamanto Market.
The Kayayei women, often migrating from the North in search of jobs in Accra, carry loads of up to 50kg including bales of clothing or second-hand goods on their heads while navigating Accra's streets, roadsides and market paths in the sub-Saharan heat daily, often without breaks or points for respite.
They are unprotected by any worker's rights, susceptible to being exploited and overworking to make a living. The luckiest ones can buy their own bales and open their stalls in and around the market. While they earn little money, in this way these young women can escape the dire conditions of their hometowns, avoid forced marriage and support their families.
In the tapestry, the motifs intricately woven into the fabric serve as a heartfelt tribute to the laborious journeys and hardships endured by these resilient Kayayei women; they prompt a reevaluation of the choices we make and invite us to reflect upon the profound question of whether the notion of ethical consumption can ever truly be realized.
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