Jalq’a
textiles produce yet another sensation of light and atmosphere, as if
they were glittering in the darkness. The tones selected from this
region produce this effect in spite of prefering to employ dark colors
that shy away from white and yellow. Now the scene is seemingly without
light as the Jalq’a attempt to represent a world inside the earth --
one inhabited by the deity who is the inspiration for the Jalq’a
designs, the Supay. This deity rules the subterranean world,
characterized by the recreation of life and new species. Against
the dark background depths of the greens, blues, and purples, the reds,
oranges, and pinks stand out like brilliant metals mined from the
earth. The Jalq’a world is chaotic, depicting savage beasts and
imaginary animals with multiple heads, appendages, and wings. It evokes
a world in perpetual creation of real and imaginary species.
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For
their quality, the beauty of their figures, and the daring of their
representation of chaos, these textiles constitute a unique human
inheritance worthy of being considered modern art, while at the same
time being derived from the sacred timeless myths of their ancestors.
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