From the Hills of Chipas.. Taller Leñateros – Jessie Kanji MFA Print 27′

June 12. From the Hills of Chiapas.. Taller Leñateros

Arriving at Taller Leñateros in San Cristóbal de las Casas has been an exciting start to the Summer. Nestled in the mountains of Chiapas, the workshop is beautiful, it has 3 distinct areas designated for book-making, screen-printing and paper-making. During my first days here, I have been getting to know the workshop, meeting members of the community, and learning about the history of the organization. Founded by poet and artist Ámbar Past, Taller Leñateros is 50 years old and has been developing innovative papermaking techniques using locally sourced plant fibres while supporting collaborative publishing projects with Maya artists, writers, and artisans. Walking through the studio and seeing handmade papers, books, and prints in various stages of production has already provided a rich source of inspiration!

The first week here was blue skys and super sunny, with the second week seeing the very start of the rainy season. I have started working closely with Maria and Luciana to learn sustainable papermaking practices and explore how handmade paper can function as both a material and a carrier of cultural memory. I have been plucking flower petals and ‘veno de novia’, a type of plant that we add to the paper pulp just before pulling the paper. There is an archive room where a lot of the paper is stored, and some of the paper is several decades old.

I am particularly interested in the ways that traditional knowledge and local ecology intersect within the workshop’s daily activities, and the community here has been inquisitive about my artistic practice and seeing how we can collaborate. Over the coming weeks, I hope to deepen my understanding of fibre preparation, sheet formation, and collaborative methods of paper-making. I am excited to read more of the historic ‘libros objectos’ here to gain insights into the Mayan culture and way of life. There is one specific book here published in 1998 Conjuros y ebriedades: cantos de mujeres mayas in Spanish and Tzotzil and more recently in 2005 translated into Incantations in English, this book contains essays and poems written by Mayan women that I am looking forward to studying.