Akiduwang Small Gourd – Scarified Leather

AKIDUWANG
The Small Gourd Form (Scarified Leather)

Akiduwang takes its form from the African gourd, an object shaped by nature and carried through generations as part of everyday life.

In this expression, the surface of the vegetable-tanned leather becomes part of the story.

Hand-worked markings are applied to the leather, drawing from the visual language of scarification and the enduring human instinct to mark, adorn and give identity to a surface.

Rather than sitting upon the object as decoration, the markings become part of the leather itself.

The rounded gourd form is moulded and stitched by hand, allowing the markings to travel across its sculptural surface.

Black hand-beadwork introduces another layer of texture, while an African-print cotton lining is held within.

No two surfaces resolve in precisely the same way. Variations in the markings, leather, beadwork and hand-finishing give each Akiduwang its individual character.