Intercrafts ist eine Non-Profit Organisation mit Sitz in Lima, welche 2002 von CIAP, einer überregionalen Vereinigung peruanischer Kunsthandwerker*innen, gegründet wurde. Sie fokussiert sich auf langfristige Zusammenarbeit und arbeitet so seit der Gründung mit denselben Kunsthandwerker*innen in unterschiedlichen Regionen Perus zusammen. Ihr Ziel ist es, durch den internationalen Vertrieb neue Vermarktungs- und damit Einkommensmöglichkeiten für die peruanischen Kunsthandwerker*innen zu schaffen.
Kusi Mate // Multicoloured
The Kusi Mate is a beautiful decorative object for jewellery and other small
belongings. It is made by Alejandro Hurtado Laveriano who’s workshop is based in
Huancayo, the capital of Junín Region, in the central highlands of Peru. The artisan
is an expert in gourd carving, in Spanish known as “mates burilados”. The “Mate
Burilado Peruano” (“Peruvian Gourd Art”) is a traditional crafts technique that has
been representing communal or personal Peruvian stories in gourds for several
thousand years. Alejandro Hurtado Laveriano’s drawings usually represent scenes of
farming life. The gourd, known as “mate” in Peru, is the basis of the fine art of the
“mate burilado”. To create this design, the gourd is first peeled, cleaned and dried.
After that the artisan can carve the three-dimensional design into the gourd, using a
special tool called “buril”. The “buril” is a wood stick with a steel nail attached to it. It
is common to find miniature drawings on “mates burilados”, which can only be made
with the help of magnifying glasses. For this purpose, an additional tool, a kind of
scalpel, is used.
Each gourd is naturally grown. Therefore, each Kusi Mate is unique and can vary in
size and shape.
