During the Ambacht in Beeld Festival, the documentary that Wendy van Wilgenburg made in collaboration with Arne Verbrugh about gold brocade weaving in Fez will premiere.

Moulay Ismail Ouazzani, one of the last gold brocade weavers of Fez (and of the world), will come to the festival to share his knowledge.

Fragments from the film will be presented with a detailed explanation of the specific technique (which involves a second person at the loom, for the patterns). He will bring materials and examples of work.

Particularly interesting for textile enthusiasts, professional and hobby weavers.

The Fès brocade is a luxury silk fabric enhanced with designs embroidered with gold and silver according to the techniques specific to the city of Fez in Morocco. This weaving is a tradition that has disappeared elsewhere in North Africa. The last workshop still making this weaving is located in the Medina of Fez.

Several craftsmen are involved in the weaving of brocad:

The zouaq who is the craftsman sketching the shapes and colors of the pattern on the paper using the appropriate pencils. The shape and colors are agreed between the master craftsman and the client.

The nyar who is the craftsman who makes the blade and the loom, is an independent who works outside the production unit.

The medewar which is the one that wraps the bamboo rods with thread, this step precedes the weaving operation. This process is called “winding” or “counting”.

The jebbad who is the craftsman who pulls with his hands the hair threads in bundles, one after the other because it is all these piles that form the desired drawing.

The maalem who is the master craftsman, the one who accompanies all the stages of production and who dictates to each intervener in the weaving process his mission and controls their work. Its function is the most important both inside and outside the workshop. It is he who winds lemtawa with the silk threads, who chooses the shape and color of the patterns in consultation with the customer and the designer, who sets the price, buys the yarns and prepares them. In general, it is he who takes care of all the tasks that are part of the weaving process. In particular, it determines the number of drawings and threads that will form the pattern in order to obtain the required product.

The film was made in collaboration with the Centraal Museum Utrecht, and is also part of the MODA exhibition, which can be seen from October.