Leepi Jhedi
Working with the artisans and fabrics revealed many memories and a deeper interest. We traced the material, the know-how, the places, and emotions.
Among those objects a very specific hand-woven cotton fabric caught our attention and resonated with us.
Among those objects a very specific hand-woven cotton fabric caught our attention and resonated with us.
It is known as "rabbal" in Wolof or "sëru jare" or "leepi" in Pulaar.
The leepi is known for its use in clothing and accessories making, for ceremonies as well as for moments of rituals and exchanges between individuals and families.
Having grown up with this fabric, it was always present around us and we've been having an unconscious conversation with it. We have seen them being used for different outfits and occasions. So these materials hold their own stories and memories. They constitute the archives and links between moments and thus provide information about certain contexts.
We want to approach them in a way that inscribes our own stories.
By exploring what is intrinsically contained in the materials, we give them the attention they require.
The materials (fabrics) we used to make our costumes become our support and receive the images they inspired.
The leepi is known for its use in clothing and accessories making, for ceremonies as well as for moments of rituals and exchanges between individuals and families.
Having grown up with this fabric, it was always present around us and we've been having an unconscious conversation with it. We have seen them being used for different outfits and occasions. So these materials hold their own stories and memories. They constitute the archives and links between moments and thus provide information about certain contexts.
We want to approach them in a way that inscribes our own stories.
By exploring what is intrinsically contained in the materials, we give them the attention they require.
The materials (fabrics) we used to make our costumes become our support and receive the images they inspired.
“Leepi jhedi” ( “cotton fabrics woven in seven strips" in pulaar) places painting as a primary means of experimenting and understanding the material.
The idea is to embark on an exploration to discover the fabric and create new relationships with it. The gradations of colors remind us of this journey from universe to universe, with no perceptible border, nor time and order in the transition of the color.
In this body of work, leppi become our canva. A canva already loaded with its own history. The goal here is to put our nuances, our imaginations and our aspirations without confusing the primary story, what we know of it anyway.
The idea is to embark on an exploration to discover the fabric and create new relationships with it. The gradations of colors remind us of this journey from universe to universe, with no perceptible border, nor time and order in the transition of the color.
In this body of work, leppi become our canva. A canva already loaded with its own history. The goal here is to put our nuances, our imaginations and our aspirations without confusing the primary story, what we know of it anyway.




