Ala (The Earth Goddess)

1. The textile wall hanging tiled Ala (The Earth Goddes) embodies Aboh Maise Igbo cosmology and indigenous art, emphasizing its deep cultural significance to inspire respect and reverence among viewers. In traditional Igbo belief, Ala embodies morality, fertility, and creativity, acting as the divine source that blesses women with the innate ability to create art. This artistic lineage is illustrated by Uri design, a traditional surface-painting tradition of the Aboh Mbaise people believed to have originated as early as the nineteenth century. Inspired by this maternal heritage, this artwork seeks to preserve and celebrate those sacred designs, channeling the goddess’s spiritual essence into a contemporary textile medium.

The artwork’s title directly reflects its central theme, drawing on traditional Uri visuals to convey the goddess Ala majestic attributes. Structurally, the composition depicts her profound, positive impact on her children, particularly her role in empowering them to design and create. Every motif within the composition is deliberately placed to communicate a deeper spiritual narrative. The face of the goddess is rendered using the Uri Efur (beauty) motif, capturing an ethereal, mysterious beauty that mirrors the complex nature of womanhood.

This focus on Uri design aims to inspire respect and curiosity about Aboh Mbaise spiritual heritage among viewers, inviting them to explore its rich symbolism and meaning. In her right hand, a continuous spiral (gurugburu) represents the sacred python (Eke), a deeply revered spiritual symbol across the Mbaise’s people that celebrates growth, strength, and the natural patterns of life. Thus, her left hand holds the butterfly motif (Urukurububa), symbolizing grace, peace, and lightness, emphasizing the transient beauty of Uri body art. Because Uri’s body art is inherently ephemeral, fading from the skin within a week or two, the butterfly motif explores this fleeting nature. Motherly mystery and patience are illustrated by the continuous circles on her skirt, signaling the fluid movement of her children, who are continuously reborn. Safeguarding the divine fom is the Osist Ndu (Tree of Life), symbolizing sacred peace, resilience, and the deep, grounded strength of family roots and community bonds. Finally, curved lines are intertwined into the artwork to refloct the part of life (Akku ke Ndu), sometimes painful progression of life; they serve as a visual reminder that life cannot be rushed and that only the brave who endure the ugly and difficult phases will ultimately reach the finish line. To effectively convey the subject matter for interior decoration, the batik way-resist technique was carefully selected and executed.

The production of Ala required a meticulous combination of traditional and chemical materials, including brocade fabric, gum wax, a tjanting tool, vat dyes, caustic soda, soda ash, and sodium hydrosulfite. The studio process was both rigorous and demanding, requiring an arduous
progression from the first fabric preparation to the final reveal. Wax was systematically applied to the brocade with a janting tool to isolate specific design areas before the fabric was submerged in sequential dye baths. Following the intensive waxing and dyeing cycles, the fabric was boiled to strip away the resist medium.
Significantly, the researcher incorporated wooden frames and fine stones into the studio development; the frames provide a stable structure necessary for functional wall hangings, while the meticulous application of fine stones offers an aesthetic enhancement that ensures a proper, professional finish. The colours were deliberately chosen to showcase the vibrant, creative energy of the earth goddess, resulting in a rich, emotionally resonant visual experience. A sharp orange was chosen to explain Ala’s creative energy and the connection between the heavens and the earth.

To complement this, a rich reddish-orange portrays the boldness, passion, and high level of confidence and courage with which women naturally carry themselves. These spirited tones are balanced by a background of dark forest green, which represents stability, growth, ambition, and a deep connection to nature and wealth, reflecting the ambitious nature inherent in the Aboh Mbaise people. Furthermore, the characteristic cracking effect of the batik technique was intentionally utilized as a conceptual tool. These fine, fractured lines depict the profound resilience of the Aboh Mbaise people, explaining that no matter how difficult or fractured a situation becomes, they never give up, continuously pushing forward until their ingenuity brings them successfully to the finish line. The artistic significance of this batik textile work lies in its ability to blend ancient cultural philosophy with modern interior design functionality. By adopting the traditional practice of Uri body decoration into a permanent batik wall hanging, the artwork serves as an important medium for cultural preservation and historical documentation native to Aboh Mbaise, Imo State.