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Djenne Mystere Bleu

Djenne Mystere Bleu

Strolling through the market outside the Great Mosque of Djenné, Zainab is surrounded by all the noises, scents, and colors….

Regular price $185.00
  • THE DETAILS
    Djenne Mystere Bleu
    Djenne Mystere Bleu
    Djenne Mystere Bleu
    Djenne Mystere Bleu
    Djenne Mystere Bleu
    Djenne Mystere Bleu

    Djenne Mystere Bleu

    The Mystère design draws from the architectural poetry of the Great Mosque of Djenné. A place where earth meets sky in a repetition of scared forms.

    Abstracted symbols echo the mosques’s protruding palm branches, cone shaped towers and elongated ceilings. The palette of electric blues, turquoise, green and gold-orange, conjures the heat of Mali and the energy of movement, ritual and awe.

    This is a piece made to turn heads not by trend, but by power. A wearable monument to ingenuity and spirit.

     

    Silk: 54" x 54"
    80% modal, 20% silk
    Hand-finished edge

    Cashmere: 54" x 79.5"
    90% modal, 10% cashmere
    Raw edge

    Imported

    Dry clean

  • THE STORY
    djenne-mystere-bleu

    There’s so much going on that it’s hard to decide what to focus on.

    Voices speak loudly over one another as customers haggle with vendors and friends catch up with one another.

    The raw smell of cattle blends and the fresh earthiness of the vegetable and ripe fruits blend in a cacophony of scents.

    My eyes continue to wander when my attention is captured by someone up ahead.

    She is outfitted in a patterned dress of bold red, golden yellow, deep blue and crisp white. Her head covering has more pattern in blue, yellow, and orange. Mixing patterns-- she’s speaking my language. And adorning her ears are the largest pair of red and gold hoops I’ve ever seen.

    Her name is Binta.

    Inspecting my textile designs, she models a few of them and graciously allows me to photograph her. And then she continues on her way.

    I’m filled with an uplifting rush of energy at the welcome I’ve received from the community. It’s a blissful feeling, that sense of belonging and being present in all the activity.

  • THE PROCESS
    djenne-mystere-bleu
    A close-up of the Mystere Mud painting, with the interior of the Great Mosque of Djenné in abstract.
    Bringing the Mystere Mud painting to life from pencil sketches to watercolor details.