The “Authenticity Discourse” in Contemporary Application of West African Textiles

Abstract

This study provides a contextual discussion and re-thinking of the concept of authenticity of West African Textile designs with the changing nature of art and design practices. It further discusses how textile fabrics have evolved through a complex mix of cultural assimilation, translation, transformation and migration; and simultaneously how the various African diasporas have created a dialogue that has shaped subsequent textile developments utilizing a delicate balance of cultural and textile discourses. The works of Yinka Shonibare, Trine Lindegaard, Philippe Bestenhieder, Junya Watanabe, El Anatsui, Grace Ndiritu and other artists and fashion designers who have drawn inspirations from West African textile themes have been used as a means of discussing broader philosophical questions. Their works have found wider acceptance around the World and cast the right shadow for this study. These contemporary designers and artists have used West African textile fabrics in their work by exploring the uniqueness of their color, texture, symbolism, concepts or a combination of these characteristics. It has been inferred that shifting authenticities of process and materiality in contemporary art practice must be embraced as a positive phenomenon and must be considered to be part of a global creative endeavor.

Keywords:

• textiles
• contemporary
• West African textiles
• authenticity
• cultural heritage

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Richard Acquaye

Richard Acquaye is an associate professor at the Department of Textile Design and Technology, Takoradi Technical University. He holds a PhD in Design – Production from the University of Southampton, UK. His research and practice encompass a broader set of unorthodox “collaborations” with technology, new material and color resources to generate working designs and forms. He is currently the Dean of School of Graduate Studies and Technology and a fellow and chartered member of the Textile Institute, Manchester – UK.

Akosua Mawuse Amankwah

Akosua Mawuse Amankwah is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Industrial Art, CABE, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi Ghana. She holds Master of Design in Professional Design for Textiles and Fashion from Heriot Watt University. She facilitates Design and Marketing related courses for both undergraduate and graduate programs. Currently, she is a doctoral student at KNUST, pursuing Fashion Design Technology. Her Research Interest is on Ghana Fashion Industry Sustainability. She represents CABE as a Non Professorial Member on Academic Board. She also serves on a number of boards and committees at the KNUST. She is a member of Institute of Textiles and Fashion Professional, Ghana and the International Learning Network on Sustainability.

Raphael Kanyire Seidu

Raphael Kanyire Seidu is currently a PhD student at the School of Fashion and Textiles at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University with Fashion and Textile Design as his area of specialization. His research interests include computer aided design, textile design and traditional textile production methods. [email protected]