OBAKKI JOURNAL

Where Thread Becomes Architecture: Caralarga

THE OAXACAN STUDIO ROOTED IN CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Javier Reyes is the founder of rrres studio, now based in Oaxaca, Mexico. His practice is shaped by proximi...

French Linens from Sarah Espeute

In Marseille, Sarah Espeute works with needle and thread, transforming linen into something quietly expressive. Her pieces do not begin with new ma...

DOÑA VIVIANA’S LEGACY OF OAXACAN BEESWAX CANDLES

What happens if a young man wants to propose to his love in a small town in Oaxaca, Mexico? He must first ask her parents for her hand in marriage ...

The Last Glassblowers of Herat

In the ancient city of Herat, Afghanistan, where centuries of craft once filled its markets and workshops, only one family remains practicing tradi...

Meet the Maker: Feminine Form with Justine Menard

Justine Menard is a glassblower whose work quietly blurs the line between form and function. Shaped by her roots in Paris and now based in Barcelon...

Inside the Studio of Nathalee Paolinelli

Inside Nathalee Paolinelli’s Vancouver studio, nothing is rushed. This journal takes you behind the scenes of her intuitive ceramic practice — from...

Morocco: The Story Behind our Camel Wool Blankets

Meet Hassan, a generational weaver from Fes, whose camel wool blankets carry his family’s legacy. Woven from one of Morocco’s most sustainable natu...

A Life in Oaxacan Clay with Rufina Ruiz Lopez

My pottery is inspired by the generations that came before me who have passed down this sacred craft. In my community you are born, raised and live...

The Making of: Akiliba Pots

The rural village of Akiliba, in Northern Uganda, is well off the beaten path. And it is home to a determined group of craftswomen who are using p...

MASTERS OF LAVA ROCK: OUR ARTISAN PARTNERS FROM PUEBLA

Our Mexican artisan partners tell us that they love working with lava rock – as their forefathers (and mothers) did. The textures, the colours, and...

Hands That See: A Mexican Love Story

His workshop is Manos Que Ven (Hands That See). The artisan is Jose Garcia Antonio, a sculptor who lost his sight in the 1950s, due to glaucoma. An...