Expression of the Ordeals of “kayayie” through Mixed-Media Textile Art

The practice of kayayie by young ladies in southern Ghana exposes them to varying difficulties and struggles just to make a living. To bring to the fore such challenges in textile art, the study employed mixed-media materials and techniques to produce art works that communicate their struggles. To achieve the study’s focus, the studio-based practice was exercised supported by the Aesthetico-Action Research model by Cora Marshal. Non-participant observation and unstructured interview were the main instruments used for data collection. The study revealed three major findings. The first set of findings revealed that, super glue is suitable for varieties of materials and has the ability to wet the fabric to give strong bond with high resistance. Un-primed background before painting resulted in more absorption of paint to fill the amorphous areas of the canvas. Cotton fabric is a suitable substrate for producing mixed media textile art works. The project reveals the possibility of producing textile art using materials available in the environment employing combined techniques like assemblage, painting, sewing and applique to communicate a message. The project recommends that vocational training centres should be built to train kayayie and practicing artists as well as students how to use waste materials in the environment to produce textile art. Keyword: Mixed-media, Textile Art, Kayayie, techniques DOI: 10.7176/ADS/89-02 Publication date: January 31 st 2021