MAKERS
Tamo
Our tamo collection is a selection of work from two very creative families, both surnamed De La Cruz.
Tamo is a style of straw marquetry specific to the Nariño region of Colombia. This traditional craft has been passed down within the De La Cruz family for at least five generations.
Traditionally, tamo featured landscapes created with uncoloured straw. It has evolved over the generations to include kaleidoscopic colours and psychedelic patterns. This inspiration partly comes from the natural medicines used in the this region and the crazy parades.
I first learned of tamo when I was spending Christmas in Putomayo, Nariño and was gifted a beautiful decorative plate. I have been fascinated since. My intention was to learn more about this technique and show it to more people – it was nearly 5 years later that it happened. On returning to Pasto, Nariño, my hopeful intention was to collaborate with one family, but there were two families who I really connected with. They fascinated me not only with their work, but their work ethics and lifestyle. The family of Enrique and the family of Aida.
Enrique’s family carve more intricate wooden designs, whereas Aida and her family specialise in more psychedelic artwork. After a few weeks of working together – it turned out Enrique and Aida are siblings!
Melon Seed
Alex makes the distinctive melon seed jewellery. We go way back to our days spent market trading at the Parque Poblado Fair in Medellin. We were often neighbours, or ‘vecinos’ as said in Colombia.
His wife Martha and two lovely boys Sahí (Earth, in the language of the tribe ‘los Guahibos’) and Zuhé (Sun – in the language of the trible ‘los Aruhuacos’) would often come and help out, so I got to know the whole family and my interest in their work grew.
The idea to use the seeds originated from seeing a local fruit vendor throwing so many away every day. Alex, being a creative soul, saw this not only as an opportunity to upcycle and prevent waste, but to create a carefully crafted jewellery that highlights how a waste product can be transformed into a beautiful, wearable item.
That was nearly 20 years ago.
Floresse
Nidia and her family make the delicate and beautiful flower jewellery.
They live in a mountainous village called Santa Elena, a village 9000 feet above sea level and home to one of the biggest flower festivals in the world. The parents collect and press the freshly picked flowers, whilst Nidia and her sister Lucia set the flowers into resin to create individual jewellery pieces.
The flora is collected from the surrounding environment. Some are wild, some are grown, and some are collected from the flower festivals of Medellin, that would otherwise be disposed of.
I met this family during the flower festival and was so intrigued by their designs. My original intention was to learn how to create my own resin designs, but this evolved into a special relationship and me bringing their work over to the UK
