Terra Fuller

Touria Cave Carpet (2009)
recycled clothes, handspun sheep wool (some naturally dyed with walnut husk, pomegranate peel and henna), thread, yarn
77 x 40 in.

I am creating an epic adventure saga hoping to prove that I can be at home in the sublime. The fifth installment in my art series was spending over two years living with a family of cave dwelling nomads in the Southern Morocco pre-Saharan desert plains. I integrated into the Ait Eshu family, accepted their culture, learned their language (Tashelheit), followed them in their daily life and wove carpets with the mother, Zahra. I also created videos, drawings, and collages.

With the help of my mentor, Zahra, and other women and girls, I wove this carpet using my old clothes and discarded clothing from friends and neighbors. It has my name “Touria” (an Arabic name assigned to me by the villagers), an overarching black cave, a teapot pouring a stream of green tea, an eye, a pink Persian rose, a sugar cone that symbolizes fertility and festivities, and lots of Amazigh symbols.

© Terra Fuller