Akiting Capacious Gourd – Samburu Colour Beads

AKITING
The Capacious Gourd Form(Samburu Colour Beads)

Akiting takes its inspiration from the generous forms of African gourds ,vessels created to hold, carry and accompany everyday life.
Its name, Akiting -“To Carry”, finds its expression in scale.

As the most capacious of Akire’s Gourd Forms, its generous proportions transform the familiar vessel into a sculptural object designed for carrying more.

Crafted from brown vegetable-tanned kip leather, Akiting is moulded and stitched by hand. Its broad, rounded body retains the organic character of the gourd, allowing the material and form to remain at the centre of the object.

Mixed-colours ( Samburu ) beadwork is engaged by hand, creating a rhythmic contrast against the brown leather. Within, an African-print cotton lining introduces another layer of textile and pattern, revealed through use.
Generous in scale and unmistakable in silhouette, Akiting carries the language of the original vessel into a contemporary expression of African craftsmanship.

Each piece bears subtle variations in form, leather, beadwork and hand-finishing, individual traces of the hands involved in its making.