Woven Tuna is
the lifework of Master Weaver
Wilber "Mario" Quispe Huaman
in collaboration with
textile artist Gwendi Raymond
Why Woven Tuna?
Tuna in Spanish is Prickly Pear Cactus!
The tuna plant has tremendous value in the Andes, providing food, powerful medicine, and a habitat for the cochineal beetle which is the source of cochinilla, the revered cochineal dye that gives a vibrant red to textiles, and is known to have been used for thousands of years. And weaving tuna, we weave the stories of our lives.
Wilber with tuna and cochinilla, at the ancient Wari city above Huamanga, in Ayacucho. Look closely to see the cochinilla, which appears white and turns red with just a finger rub.
Inspired Traditions
Welcome to Wilber Quispe's dyeing and weaving studio, in Huamanga, Ayacucho, in the Andean foothills.
Here, the apus (nature spirits) are a wellspring of inspiration for him to create something new, drawing from the rich imagery and spirituality of his Andean heritage. He built his studio here to be surrounded by the plants that give color to the weavings - the abundant molle tree (shown in the foreground of the photo), as well as nogal (walnut), tuna, chilca and tara.
Being here in the Ayacucho studio for part of the year brings art and creativity to life.
Perhaps one day you will find your inspiration on a visit here as well. Bienvenidos!
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Weaving Journeys Together
We dream of creating an Artists Community
Our dream is to create a worldwide community of textile artists and plan for a beautiful, creative future where weavers and dyers come together in our studios, now in Ayacucho, Peru, and in Melbourne, Florida, and here in dialogue on the Woven Tuna website.
Please join our community of members and participate in the weaving forum.
