In Morocco, where men are responsible for most of their country’s artisanal production, women have maintained the age-old craft of indigenous weaving. Until recently these rural Moroccan women have remained all but invisible behind the warp threads of their looms, single-handedly passing down the weaving tradition from mother to daughter In this way designs, colors, and patterns are preserved like family heirlooms, within each family, each town, and each region. Untangling Threads: Female Artisans in Morocco's Rug Weaving Industry, offers a glimpse into rural Moroccan life as it documents the culture and craft of female weavers, specifically focusing on artisans from three rural weaving communities: Ain Leuh, Ait Hamza, and Taznakht.
I began photographing this long-term documentary project about these weavers in June of 2010 with my friend and collaborator Alia Kate—fair trade activist and founder of Kantara Crafts—who has been visiting and working with the women pictured in the photographs for the past four years. Initially, we had hoped to create a project that would expose the inherent injustices in Morocco’s carpet weaving industry: while the carpets are generally sold for high-dollar amounts, the female artisans have traditionally received a very small percentage of the profits, which has perpetuated the cycle of poverty and child labor in rural Morocco.
As we moved through the Middle and High Atlas Mountains—staying in the homes of the artisans and experiencing their immense generosity and strength, breaking bread with them and drinking their tea, watching them weave—it was clear that we were capturing a much different story. The weaving cooperatives documented in this project are now mostly self-promoting and making direct sales rather than relying on middlemen to distribute their carpets. Through my photographs, I hope to illuminate the hands behind the handicraft, and celebrate women artisans in Morocco who—despite cultural and logistical barriers—continue to produce beautiful, high-end, and coveted carpets. Ultimately, these photos are about the humanity of the artisans as they maintain a craft that has endured centuries and as they fight against all odds to keep their craft pertinent in a globalizing world.