Collecting practices have rejected semi-ephemeral archeological remains because of their lack of attractiveness, exotism and value. Hence, bambusa buildings,fragmented ceramics and woven fabrics are less common in collections because climate has deteriorated them, and because they are not “worth” as much as gold.
Altiplano is a post-archeological approach, that is built on speculation: what could the archeologist have found and could not describe or what could a futuristic impression of the Muisca dress —which uses a single piece of rectangular cloth wrapped around the body— be.
Each dress is an abstraction of a traditional ceramic typology among pre-Hispanic cultures, translated onto a textile material commonly used in tire construction (provided by the generous contribution of Enka, an artificial fibers textile factory). Shoes and headpieces were created with the idea of bambusa ceilings in mind, a material known as botanical steel; they seek to explore the tension between the strength and flexibility of materials —leather (shoes), MDF (headpieces), and bambusa itself, (laser-cut design made by TuTaller)—.
This collection aims to ask questions around the simplest elements used in the everyday life of pre-Hispanic cultures: small as they stand, complex in technique, and strong in meaning.
