Crafting Textiles through the Covid Crisis: Stories from Guatemala

In 2020, Covid-19 devastated most global markets, including Guatemala. This film documents research supported by the Global Challenges Research Fund and undertaken between January-July 2021, for the project: ‘Learning from the diversification of Guatemalan artisans during the global pandemic to develop more sustainable models of textile practice’.

During the ongoing pandemic, it was impossible to visit Guatemala to undertake the ethnographic investigation. Consequently, researchers Professor Katherine Townsend (Nottingham Trent University), Dr Anna Piper (Sheffield Hallam University) and Luciana Jaburs (Friends of Ixchel Museum) collaborated remotely with five established partners, Mercado Global, Multicolores, Cojoyla, Kakaw Designs and A Rum Fellow, to source the stories for the film. The resulting footage combines edited clips from online interviews with the creative directors of the textile companies and non-profits, supplemented by documentary photographs and video footage of artisans undertaking their craft practice.

The resulting collage of images and narratives convey how the artisans and their partner organisations responded to the limitations imposed by national and regional lockdowns.

Creative solutions put in place included seeking charitable donations and redirecting workshop funding (e.g., for essential healthcare products and food) sharing resources (from textile materials to vegetables); diversifying product ranges (PPE masks, story cloths and bespoke artefacts) and developing a stronger online presence and e-commerce channels (via dedicated websites, craft workshops and social media). Watch the full film here.