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papelpicado

papel picado (Mexico)

Mexican folk craft of paper flags decorated with cutouts tracing back to pre-Hispanic traditions of the Aztecs. Banners of papel picado, or perforated paper, are typically displayed strung across roads or plazas during festivals, holidays, and town events. We work with El Taller Arte Papel in Oaxaca to hand make our custom papel picado banners. Each flag is made one at a time and individually hand cut in a kaleidoscope design of the artisan’s own making. The banners were made for site-specific installations, including: indigo flags with mica in Oaxaca, Mexico in 2005; flags in shades of white with mica in Vienna, Austria in 2006 and at Portica della Morte in Bologna, Italy in 2008; and sky blue for the “between the clouds” exhibition at Santa Monica Museum of Art in California in 2012. See also El Taller Arte Papel Oaxaca

pochote

pochote (Mexico)

Variety of tall, flowering trees native to Central and South America that produce a silky cotton-like fiber within its fruit pods. Pochote, whose name derives from the Nahuatl word pochotl, is alternately known as Ceiba, Kapok, or silk floss tree. We use pochote fibers in our handmade papers from Oaxaca. See also El Taller Arte Papel Oaxaca

pojagi

pojagi or bojagi (Korea)

Traditional Korean wrapping cloth used for carrying, wrapping, covering, or protecting objects, as well as a variety of other uses in daily life. The earliest surviving pojagi dates back to the twelfth century. Patchwork pojagi, called chogak po, are made of leftover scraps of fabric and typically sewn by mothers and grandmothers of the household. Seams are neatly pressed and entirely enclosed, giving the effect of stained glass when held up to light. Economizing resources in this way was simply a way of life in the past, but the making of pojagi was also experienced as an act of affection. Many are never used, attesting to their preservation as gestures of love and blessings. The pojagi is both a reminder of Christina’s childhood in Korea and a beautiful expression of traditional recycling, one that remains a steady reference for many of our engineered recycled fabrics. The incomparable patchwork skills of two Korean women at dosa, Mrs. Chong and Yoo-On, allow us to continue this Korean tradition. Japanese pojagi collector Mr. Morita continues to be a great resource, sharing his finest artifacts with Christina.

pomegranate

pomegranate

Fruit-bearing tree (Punica granatum) growing wild in India, Italy, North Africa, and China. The rind of the pomegranate fruit is used to obtain a deep yellow color and the bark contains high amounts of tannin for color fastness. We use dried, powdered pomegranate husks mixed with ferrous sulfate to obtain rich greys and blacks. Our pomegranate is sourced from an Ayurvedic supplier in India. See also Adiv Temple Blessings Project

pulsera

pulsera (Peru)

Traditional handwoven and beaded bracelet readily found at local markets in Central and South American communities. dosa pulseras are made in Peru, some purchased from the marketplace and others made by Awamaki, a small nonprofit that supports a cooperative of women weavers in the rural Quechua community of Patacancha. We started carrying pulseras in 2012.