Inspiration
Taazlis have been inspired by the following sites:
- Picard Trade Bead Museum and African Art Gallery
- Picard Trade Bead Museum and African Art Gallery is a unique museum in the world, located in the heart of beautiful Carmel Valley, California. It specialises in importing beads, handcrafts, sculpture and textiles from around the world since 1969.
- Adire African Textiles
- Adire African Textiles specialise in fine examples of a wide range of hand made African textiles including Adire, Adinkra, Akwete, Aso-oke, Bogolan, Ewe, Kente, Kuba, and Nupe cloths. Cloths from Nigeria, Ghana and other parts of West Africa can be found here. This is an extensive site with lot of lots of informative links for you to explore!
- Kazuri Beads - Handmade Ceramic Jewelry from Kenya
- Kazuri is hand-painted ceramic jewellery is shaped by hand by one of the 300 local women employed by Kazuri. The beads are kiln fired once, glazed and fired again. Founded by the late Lady Susan Wood, Kazuri is still located where she first started creating employment for struggling single mothers back in 1975. The workshop is in Karen, named after Karen Blixen of 'Out Of Africa', on part of the farm once owned by her. It is located in a beautiful area just a few miles outside of Nairobi, and lies under the Ngong Hills between Kenya's bustling capital and the spectacular Rift valley. As every piece of jewellery is handmade, every bead is unique and is Fair Trade.
- History and Significance of Ghanas KENTE Cloth
- Kente is an Asante ceremonial cloth hand-woven on a horizontal treadle loom. Four inch strips are sewn together into larger pieces of cloths. Cloths come in various colors, sizes and designs and are worn during very important social and religious ceremonies. Kente are woven by various ethnic groups in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa.
- Adinkra - Library of African symbols from Ghana
- A wonderful resource of Ghanas Adinkra symbols from the Asante Tribe with their meanings. These symbols are used on cloths, walls, pottery, and logos and can be found in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo in West Africa.
- Profile and Art of Contemporary Artist El Anatsui at the October Gallery in London
- El Anatsui is regarded as one of the most important contemporary artists from Africa. He has also become one of the most important sculptors of our time. He is best known for his large 'cloths' made from whiskey bottle caps. El Anatsui has won international acclaim for his spectacular gallery and site-based installations, including the wrapping of the façade of the Palazzo Fortuny with thousands of bottle caps during the 2007 Venice Biennale. He has exhibited at the October Gallery in London in 1995, 2002, and 2008. His work is currently exhibited as part of the Angaza Afrika - African Art Now Exhibition of 12 artists at the October Gallery. Definately worth checking out!
- Perles D'Afrique - History of Beads
- Another wonderful resource of the history of Beads in Africa. The history of the beads leads to the the exploration of the history of the Continent! There are also some interesting links on the site.
- Beads of Life - Eastern and Southern Adornments by Marie-Louise Labelle
- This exhibition of Beads was held in Canada in 1995 where 185 artifacts were presented. This article documents the artefacts presented wonderfully with relevant historical background to complement.
