Coiled spiral earrings woven with Nahuala and Chunga plants & San Pedro seeds

All fibres are harvested and processed and then dyed individually with other plants, roots, seeds, leaves and wood to create the alchemy of colours from this earthly web of life. Most of the earrings I’ve made include five or more plant participants that live within each pair, for me that always feels so magical when I think about it. Because I work with each plant, root, seed that creates each element of a weaving for me everything is like an alive story unfolding and overflowing.

Plant Participants ~ ⠀

Core ~ Nahuala (Carludovica Palmata)⠀

Spiral Weavers ~ Chunga (Astrocaryum standleyanum)

San Pedro Seeds (Job’s tears)

Dye Plants ~

Achiote seeds, Teka Leaves, Turmeric root, Jagua seeds, Noni root, cocobolo wood shavings, alchemy, fire, sun, water.

Diameter: 3.5cm

“May my hands be an alive prayer, each thread spiralling out to join a long forgotten tendril of the earth”.

It is always with thankfulness to the Emberá women who have taught me so much of what I know of these two plants, Nahuala and Chunga, that I continue to weave with. My relationship with these plants is with deep honour to the shared knowledge and guidance of the women and the beauty of their intimacy with weaving baskets from the forest for generations. So much of what I know about the plants that I continue to live alongside and weave within the ecosystem here, is because of time shared with the women in the community gathering and processing weaving materials as well as learning about so many other uses of wild and cultivated plants over the last three years.