Djenne Wahala Bleu
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THE DETAILS
Djenne Wahala Bleu
Djenné Wahala Bleu is a vibrant ode to daily life in the shadow of Djenné’s Great Mosque- a textile where architecture meets atmosphere.
This design interprets the mosque’s iconic forms- minarets, beams, and carved recesses- through a playful, layered geometry. Its palette draws from the exuberant , hues of local dress, baskets of mangoes and okra, and the vivid wares spilling from stalls at Djenné’s weekly open-air market.
Worn around the shoulders or displayed at home, Wahala Bleu is both artifact and celebration, a work of joy, memory, and sacred everyday rhythm.
Silk: 54" x 54"
80% modal, 20% silk
Hand-finished edgeCashmere: 54" x 79.5"
90% modal, 10% cashmere
Raw edgeImported
Dry clean
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THE STORY
I look up to see the Great Mosque of Djenné standing secure and resilient.
Where there are slight grooves in its smooth yet organically textured facade, I can imagine the hands that labored to repair and re-mud the mosque during the community’s last Crepissage. The dust kicks up from the slight breeze and the muskiness of dirt and wood reaches me, enveloping me with the warm presence of mother earth. If I squint up in the distance, I can just make out the oval silhouettes of the ostrich eggs sitting on the conical spires of the minarets.And on the protruding palm branches decorating all sides of the mosque, birds are perched here and there. They preen their feathers while keeping an eye on the human activity below until, in unison, they take flight. -
THE PROCESS
The completed Wahala Mud painting with the Great Mosque and aspects of its interior and exterior in abstract.Initial sketching complete and beginning to add color to the abstract patterns in the Wahala Mud painting.
