About
Following the Thread provides a critical view of the delicate balance Indigenous communities of fabric makers face as they struggle to maintain age-old artisanal practices in a globalized market economy.
In the Peruvian Andes, textiles are omnipresent in the lives of indigenous people; they are both eminently practical and stunningly beautiful as generations of weavers have applied their creativity to invent techniques and designs found nowhere else in the world. Textiles still form a powerful part of identity. But this identity is at risk. Indigenous people still face racism on a daily basis. And a globalized market economy that produces cheap, machine-made products destroys respect and interest in the hand-made. Infringement on the intellectual rights of native peoples only makes this worse.
The Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) was established by Andean weavers and their supporters to aid in the survival of Cusqueñan textile traditions and to provide support to the indigenous people who create them. This short film presents some of the communities affiliated with the Center and includes special celebrations and ceremonies, rituals with the animals (llamas and sheep), natural dying processes, weaving and knitting demonstrations, and much more.
Credits
Following the Thread
Artist Statement – Kathy Brew, Director
As someone who studied anthropology/sociology and art history years ago, throughout my career I have been interested in the interface between art and reality, and in how creative people respond to issues of our times. My work involves an exploration of arts and social issues, often focusing on representing the vision and contributions of creative people to larger audiences. I am interested in examining concepts from both a very personal view and a larger social perspective, seeking to synthesize the subjective and objective, private and public, personal and social considerations of a particular theme or concept, with the hope of expressing and eliciting emotional responses.
Credits
A film by
Kathy Brew & Roberto Guerra
Video footage by
Roberto Guerra
Edited by
Marina Herrera with Kathy Brew
Original Music by
Pauchi Sasaki
Charango, Flutes, Chajchas, Drum, and Violins performed by Pauchi Sasaki
Zampoñas and Toyos performed by Carlos Cuya
Quechua translation by
Leo Casas and Marco Panatonic
English and Spanish translation by
Marina Herrera
Special thanks to
Nilda Callañaupa and the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) and all the weavers in the communities where we filmed: Accha Alta, Chahuaytire, Chinchero, Mahuaypampa, and Pitumarca
Thanks also to the other communiities connected with CTTC where we did not film: Acopia, Patabamba, Santa Cruz de Sallac, and Santo Tomas
Filmed in 2010 and initially edited in 2018 during a Fulbright Scholar grant.
Special thanks to Centro de la Imagen, my host organization while in Peru, and to Fulbright Peru
Final edit with music completed 2021
In loving memory of Roberto Guerra, who was born in Peru and finally returned to appreciate the rich traditions and beauty of this amazing country. And it's thanks to him that I continue to return.
Gratitude to the Apus and Pachamama.