Travel opens our eyes not only to the differences between various countries and cultures but also their similarities. One thing it seems that we all have in common is the desire to use our hands to craft beauty from simple objects. And what we create says much about our culture and heritage.
For this week’s Friendly Friday challenge theme of Hands and Feet I have compiled this collection of photos from around the world showing people doing just that; working with their hands to fashion beautiful objects. From weaving to printing, calligraphy to painting; woodwork and metalwork; restoring old artefacts and creating new ones. Enjoy the tour!
Textiles
Weaving in Peru, Guatemala and Laos; carpet-making in Uzbekistan; and block printing in Jaipur.
Brush and pen
Painters in Bulgaria, Chile, Uzbekistan and Estonia; calligraphy in Marrakesh and Takayama, Japan; and traditional mask-making in Hoi An, Vietnam.
Wood, metal and stone
Intricate marquetry work in Hakone, Japan; learning wood-carving in Khiva, Uzbekistan; traditional stone inlay (Parchinkari) in Agra; and working with metal in Ecuador and Vietnam.
Restoration
Restoring old architecture in Lviv, Ukraine, and religious friezes at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh.
And more …
Hand-rolling of cigars in Havanna; stringing flowers for religious festivals in Jaipur; and grinding argan nuts to make oil in the Ourika Valley near Marrakesh.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, some of these craft items find their way into my luggage from time to time. You might spot the Japanese woodwork and Uzbek painting among the souvenirs in my post about Dust collectors or precious memories?, along with many other beautiful items crafted by hand.
From South America to Europe to the Far East, the dexterity of the human hand, combined with the creativity of the human imagination, continues to inspire me as I travel.
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Teresa
What amazing skills of these men and women!
Sarah Wilkie
Definitely 🙂 Thank you for visiting Teresa!
Teresa
My pleasure!
restlessjo
Oh, to have any of those skills! I remember very much enjoying a weaving loom when I was young. 🙂 🙂 Fascinating to watch and what a range you’ve captured here.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Jo 😀 I dabbled with hand weaving in my 20s so I especially enjoy seeing that, but all of these crafts are fascinating as you say!
margaret21
Lovely intimate portraits showing crafts we rarely see practised in ‘real life’.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Margaret 🙂
SandyL
A great selection of photos profiling hand made crafts around the world. There’s something to be said about artisanship that has more to do with craftmanship than the final product itself. I really liked your featured photo.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sandy 🙂 I think that’s a good point about the artisanship. And thanks for liking the featured photo. I played around with that in Nik Color Efex for a while to get that effect!
wetanddustyroads
It’s amazing what people can do with their own hands … I love your pictures, especially those where the locals are busy weaving. Great collections of photo’s!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed these 🙂 The weaving particularly fascinates me too, as I used to do a bit many decades ago!
thehungrytravellers.blog
Terrific collection of photographs, Sarah. It’s fascinating to watch someone creating something through craft, in fact we sometimes have to tear ourselves away when we catch ourselves staring! There’s quite a lot of travel stuff in our house too, and every one of them brings back a memory…sure you feel the same about your collection.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much 😀 Yes, I love my collection of souvenirs and the memories they hold!
Rose Vettleson
Wow, so much beauty, talent, and creativity around the world!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Rose – when you see so much together like this it really is quite impressive, isn’t it?