World 171, Enactment i: report

This Enactment explored World 171, in which awareness of material things and their connection to the earth is enhanced and clothes and other objects in the home become part of the extended household.

The Enactment was created by Jessica Rodriguez, Camila Carozzi and Santiago Gomez, in Sutatausa, Colombia.

It was one of a number of enactments developed by MA Design students from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, as part of a three-day workshop, during which they worked in mixed groups with local women who were traditional textile makers.

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The text guiding this Enactment:

In World 171, located in the valley of Sutatausa, Colombia, garments are more than just clothing—they are an extension of life itself. They feel, observe, and share the same space as humans. In a world oversaturated with clothing, where garments lose their value each day, discarding them has become common practice rather than preserving them with care.

The material is equally significant, as the garments in this world come from sheep. If the wool comes from a sheep aged 0–2 years, the garment carries a youthful, playful spirit. From 3–12 years, it embodies the rebellious and impatient essence of adolescence. And if the sheep is between 13–15 years old, the garment holds the wisdom and maturity of adulthood.

For the community, recognizing the value of each garment is essential. Every time they wear one, they embrace the spirit of the individual it once belonged to.

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The group creating this Enactment adapted World 171 to reflect local circumstances and developed a shared sense of the fiction by writing a script for a short film. The film – La Vida Después la Lana (Life After the Wool) – was recorded and shared with the wider group of workshop participants.

The film follows the story of Isabellita, a young girl who accidentally stains her jacket. Her grandmother, Bertica, decides to throw it away. However, to everyone’s surprise, the jacket comes to life and starts talking to Isa. Shocked and intrigued, she rushes to tell her grandmother, who refuses to believe it.

But then, something unexpected happens—Bertica’s own garments also come to life, revealing that clothing carries a spirit, shaped by the age of the sheep when its wool was taken. In the end, this realization sparks a collective awareness of the importance of preserving garments rather than discarding them.

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The project highlighted how some aspects of the original fiction were already part of the daily lives of the women textile makers. Imagining from different perspectives sparked rich discussions and deeper reflections on the intersections of tradition and innovation in their craft.

Here are the reflections of the group who made the film:

It was a very special activity because we had a unique and intimate connection with the participants, who are part of the Sutatausa community and involved in wool garment production. We truly enjoyed the recording process, laughed together, and, most importantly, reflected on the importance of garment durability— especially in today’s increasingly superficial world.

This Enactment was devised by Jessica Rodriguez, Camila Carozzi and Santiago Gomez (located in Colombia), based on a World contributed by Sally Cooke, developed from a World contributed by Daphne Mohajer va Pesaran, using a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence which allows others to share and adapt the work in any medium and for any purpose, providing that they credit the authors and share their material using the same Creative Commons licence.

Photographs: members of the enactment group.