麻豆传媒映画

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Artist melds ethics with esthetics at Eastside Culture Crawl

Bayoush Mengesha draws inspiration from nature

Bayoush Mengesha sees art in everything.

鈥淚 could take a visual cue from a piece of fabric or a pattern from a fabric and make something out of that, so it鈥檚 really from whatever captivates my senses.鈥

In her new Strathcona studio on Odlum Drive, she鈥檚 crafting art for the conscious consumer and getting ready to open her space to the public for the 20th annual Eastside Culture Crawl.

The North 麻豆传媒映画artist draws her inspiration from esthetics of the 17 different countries she has travelled to including Bali, Guatemala, Colombia and Ethiopia.

Through her self-founded art collective, Devi Arts, Mengesha has connected her love of travel with her passion for ethically sourced materials by meeting with artisans from around the world.听 听

鈥淚 started making jewelry quite a while ago, and I didn鈥檛 really know where my materials came from. I realized I had the opportunity to put my values and my ideals into my pieces as well,鈥 she says. 鈥淢y parents have always made me aware of some of the struggles other people go through in different parts of the world and how the impacts of consumption鈥 affect other people.鈥

Originally from Ethiopia, her parents fled during the civil war and landed in Swaziland, where she was born.

Removed from their extended family, her parents named her Bayoush, meaning 鈥渋f only they can see you鈥 in Amharic, the Ethiopian national language, as an homage to relatives still living in their home country.

Her name鈥檚 meaning is reflected in the jewelry she creates with eye-catching stones like amazonite and rainbow fluorite that shine in a 鈥渟pecial but functional鈥 way.

The majority of the stones she uses in her pieces are ethically cut, meaning they are mined and processed in safe working conditions and involve no child labour.

Mengesha travelled to India in 2014 and met the family that produces many of the precious stones featured in her work.

鈥淚 had the opportunity to witness the talent that envelops this generation that works together 鈥 there鈥檚 nine brothers and sisters that work together collectively,鈥 she said, adding that the family has been in business for three generations.

Well paired with her appreciation for conscious and sustainable consumerism is the inspiration she draws from the environment.

Mengesha incorporates birch bark into one of her signature lines of jewelry and hammers out metal to texturize it and make some of her pieces look like tree branches.

鈥淚 had this concept in my mind and I鈥檝e always been fascinated by bark. I get it when it鈥檚 peeling, it鈥檚 under the seasons changing, and so when it peels and it drops I was thinking what can I do with this? It鈥檚 so beautiful and I want to preserve it somehow,鈥 she said.

jewelry
Mengesha incorporates birch bark into one of her signature lines of jewelry and hammers out metal to texturize it and make some of her pieces look like tree branches.

She glues the pieces of bark to copper or brass and finishes them with a special sealant, a process that took her almost a year to perfect.

A new endeavour that Mengesha has started experimenting with is fabric dyeing. She has been experimenting with Shibori dyeing techniques and has turned the fabric into pillowcases for a line of home decor.

鈥淲hen I was travelling I worked with some talented block printers and fabric weavers and along the way this inspiration has also inspired me to dive into a new form of artistry,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e really had a lot of fun getting my hands dirty.鈥

Mengesha has been at her studio space in Strathcona since August and is basking in the ability to separate work from home.

鈥淢y passion outgrew my space,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o I decided to get my own area so I can work comfortably and kind of have a nine-to-five space.鈥

She鈥檚 excited to be included in the Crawl now that she鈥檚 part of the Parker Street Studios, and the opportunity to showcase her labour of love to the thousands of people who come through the annual event is a dream come true.

Eastside Culture Crawl runs until Nov. 20 and showcases more than 475 artists in their studios across 78 buildings in an area bounded by Columbia Street, First Avenue, Victoria Drive and the waterfront. Details at .

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