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We are heading to Strip-S for our first pop-up this Spring!
Come find Viviana's lifestyle storytelling sketches at the Feel Good Market in April, May and June in the city of Eindhoven, Netherlands. You can find all the details on our social media pages.
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Dutch Style: Striped SkirtsIn the 1800s Netherlands, clothing was highly valued. In personal belongings inventories, clothing and textiles constituted a significant portion of the average Dutch person's wealth, despite their recyclability. For instance, a woven skirt could be worn by a family for generations, transitioning from an overskirt to an underskirt. Clothing was traditionally passed down.
Viviana De La Barca |
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Historically, clothing in the Netherlands was made by hand from natural materials such as linen, wool, and leather, often through in-house spinning and weaving. Traditional regional costumes, so characteristic of the Netherlands, are slowly disappearing. With them, the tradition of handicrafts associated with these costumes is also being lost. Ancient craft techniques, unique color combinations, patterns, and fabric applications that have been passed down for centuries are falling into disuse.
In the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution ushered in the advent of steam engines and mechanical looms, catalyzing mass production and the establishment of cotton textile factories.
Continues in Spanish.
In the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution ushered in the advent of steam engines and mechanical looms, catalyzing mass production and the establishment of cotton textile factories.
Continues in Spanish.
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On Lifestyle Journalism | In 2026, The Lifestyle Journalist will arrive at my practice with lively illustrations. However, what precisely is lifestyle journalism?
The Flower Vase
This watercolour depicts a flower vase with spouts from Dutch Delft, created by The Greek A Factory around 1690-1700.
The original vase, a remarkable four-part piece, resides at the Fitzwilliam Art Museum in Cambridge, England. It includes a stand, a vase with twisted snake handles, a bowl with eight spouts, and a cover with seven spouts. Only five complete examples exist. Each vase is uniquely decorated. This particular piece showcases a typical exuberant European Baroque style. It bears the monogram \”AK\” for Adriaen Kocks, the factory’s proprietor from 1686 and court supplier.
Continues in Spanish.
The original vase, a remarkable four-part piece, resides at the Fitzwilliam Art Museum in Cambridge, England. It includes a stand, a vase with twisted snake handles, a bowl with eight spouts, and a cover with seven spouts. Only five complete examples exist. Each vase is uniquely decorated. This particular piece showcases a typical exuberant European Baroque style. It bears the monogram \”AK\” for Adriaen Kocks, the factory’s proprietor from 1686 and court supplier.
Continues in Spanish.
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On Lifestyle Journalism | In 2026, The Lifestyle Journalist will arrive at my practice with lively illustrations. However, what precisely is lifestyle journalism?
Dutch DelftwareTulip vases, which have a history dating back to the 17th century in the Netherlands, are now considered antiques. People adore them for their rich history and beauty, even though they were originally created to hold tulips, nowadays they're often used as elegant decorations. You'll frequently see them adorned with designs reminiscent of the East.
Viviana De La Barca By the 1660s, Delft in the Netherlands had become the top spot for making tin-glazed earthenware in the United Provinces. This shift was really driven by the fact that Chinese porcelain imports were dropping because of some political drama in China after the Ming dynasty fell in 1644.
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Blue and white porcelain was super popular, and Delft potters were pretty good at copying it to keep up with the demand. Later on, they also started making really fancy versions of colourful Japanese Imari ware and Chinese enamelled porcelains in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.
Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, folks crafted all sorts of everyday items and decorations, like medicine bottles, toiletries and dishes, tobacco jars, flower vases and pots, wall art and figurines. Tiles and tile pictures were also popular, especially in places like Delft, but you could find similar things in Rotterdam, Utrecht, Haarlem and even up north in Makkum.
Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, folks crafted all sorts of everyday items and decorations, like medicine bottles, toiletries and dishes, tobacco jars, flower vases and pots, wall art and figurines. Tiles and tile pictures were also popular, especially in places like Delft, but you could find similar things in Rotterdam, Utrecht, Haarlem and even up north in Makkum.
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On Lifestyle Journalism | In 2026, The Lifestyle Journalist will arrive at my practice with lively illustrations. However, what precisely is lifestyle journalism?
On the Sociology of Dress
Social sciences and human cultures begin with archaeology and anthropology.
Archaeological research provides a deeper understanding of past human societies, including their practices and attire.
Anthropological research focuses on communities from both the past and the present. For instance, in ancient Mexico, people were deeply concerned with the art of adorning the body.
Archaeological research provides a deeper understanding of past human societies, including their practices and attire.
Anthropological research focuses on communities from both the past and the present. For instance, in ancient Mexico, people were deeply concerned with the art of adorning the body.
In essence, museographic discourses within the Pre-Hispanic Art Rooms of Mexican museums provide visitors with an introductory overview of the culture and history of ancient civilizations from our geographical location, social organization, and historical context to our artistic manifestations.
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On Lifestyle Journalism | In 2026, The Lifestyle Journalist will arrive at my practice with lively illustrations. However, what precisely is lifestyle journalism?
The Mexica FanThe fan, in addition to being a common accessory in Mexico used in the coastal regions to cool off on hot days, is an instrument and a clear example of the legacy of our pre-Hispanic history.
Viviana De La Barca. The Mexica civilization crafted them from both small and large feathers. However, the most ornate ones were reserved for religious ceremonies or those in power. Artisans in Campeche, Mexico, today create some of the most uniquely crafted traditional ‘abanico de jipijapa’ using natural palm materials.
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The diversity of cultures that this instrument has served in both ancient and modern times (Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, French, or Spanish) is countless. However, records indicate that the fan as a folding instrument similar to what we know today originated in Japan. It was there that the “ogi,” the folding fan used primarily by men, was developed.
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On Lifestyle Journalism | In 2026, The Lifestyle Journalist will arrive at my practice with lively illustrations. However, what precisely is lifestyle journalism?
On the Anthropology of Dress: Tilmatl Cotton Cloak
A TILMATL IUI ICHKATL’ in the Mexican Nahuatl language is a unisex cotton cloak. In Arabic, the term is /qutn/ a natural material once rare in Europe. In the early 18th century, cotton made up a tiny fraction of Europe’s textile production. Linens and woollens were the dominant manufacturing sectors in most Western countries.
Back in the Americas, cotton fibres, spun and woven into clothing since the Olmec civilization in Mexico, have not only been used for that purpose. In ancient times, cotton held a role equally in religion, currency, and medicine.
Continues in Spanish.
Back in the Americas, cotton fibres, spun and woven into clothing since the Olmec civilization in Mexico, have not only been used for that purpose. In ancient times, cotton held a role equally in religion, currency, and medicine.
Continues in Spanish.
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On Lifestyle Journalism | In 2026, The Lifestyle Journalist will arrive at my practice with lively illustrations. However, what precisely is lifestyle journalism?
Carey BraceletsNojoch aak, meaning 'Carey Tortoise' in the Mayan language of Mexico, is scientifically known as Eretmochelys imbricata.
Mexican artisans have been crafting bracelets from this turtle, once part of my grandmother, mother, aunts, sisters, or myself wardrobes. Historically, its shell has been used to create jewelry and decorative objects, leading to the brink of extinction. Today, carey turtles remain endangered due to hunting and habitat destruction. -- Viviana De La Barca. |
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On Lifestyle Journalism | In 2026, The Lifestyle Journalist will arrive at my practice with lively illustrations. However, what precisely is lifestyle journalism?
On the Anthropology of Dress : Jade Jewels
Jade, a symbol of the Olmec civilization, known as the 'mother culture‘ of Mesoamerica, is one of several millenarian Mexican symbols. The Olmecs fashioned votive jewelry, axes, and other objects in the shape of figures carved from various greenstones, including jade, jadeite, chrysoprase, chloromelanite, serpentine, and others. Jade is a symbol of spirituality and artistic mastery.
The term “jade” for this ornamental stone originated in the 1590s, derived from the French word “le jade.” This itself comes from the earlier Spanish “piedra de (la) yjada” (1560s), which ultimately traces back to the Vulgar Latin “iliata.”
The Olmec civilization, which flourished between 1200 and 400 B.C., no longer exists as such. However, its cultural legacy lives on in present-day Veracruz and Tabasco in the Gulf of Mexico, where we had the opportunity to speak with people who identify as direct descendants of the Olmecs.
Renowned for its advanced culture and rich traditions, the Olmecs created jade objects that hold high esteem beyond mere adornment. Their legacy, involves trading jade from the Motagua Valley’s geological formations in Guatemala. This trade resulted in the creation of the earliest known jade artifacts in archaeology, which significantly influenced subsequent cultures in Mexico and the surrounding region, including the Maya.
Ethnohistoric sources describe several technological phases of that era, encompassing a wide range of instruments.
Continues in Spanish…
The Olmec civilization, which flourished between 1200 and 400 B.C., no longer exists as such. However, its cultural legacy lives on in present-day Veracruz and Tabasco in the Gulf of Mexico, where we had the opportunity to speak with people who identify as direct descendants of the Olmecs.
Renowned for its advanced culture and rich traditions, the Olmecs created jade objects that hold high esteem beyond mere adornment. Their legacy, involves trading jade from the Motagua Valley’s geological formations in Guatemala. This trade resulted in the creation of the earliest known jade artifacts in archaeology, which significantly influenced subsequent cultures in Mexico and the surrounding region, including the Maya.
Ethnohistoric sources describe several technological phases of that era, encompassing a wide range of instruments.
Continues in Spanish…
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On Lifestyle Journalism | In 2026, The Lifestyle Journalist will arrive at my practice with lively illustrations. However, what precisely is lifestyle journalism?
Mexican Art DecoGrowing up in the vibrant heart of Mexico City means holding my grandmother‘s hand as a little girl, strolling the markets and streets amidst the bustling contemporary life — Viviana De La Barca.
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Al igual que entonces, daba la sensación de estar caminando sobre un lienzo, un tapiz viviente de estilos arquitectónicos variados que desde entonces iban definiendo su perdurable perfil urbano.
Entre estos estilos, uno de nuestros favoritos es el Art Déco. Este se distinguía por sus formas geométricas atrevidas, sus detalles intrincados y una sensación de modernidad que cautivó al mundo a principios del siglo XX. En el país este estilo encontró un terreno especialmente fértil en la capital mexicana, donde sus artesanas, sus artistas o arquitectos infundían sus creaciones con materiales naturales locales y elementos culturales, lo que dio lugar a una interpretación mexicana única del Art Déco.
Las acuarelas retratan detalles que llamaron nuestra atención esta primavera.
Al igual que entonces, daba la sensación de estar caminando sobre un lienzo, un tapiz viviente de estilos arquitectónicos variados que desde entonces iban definiendo su perdurable perfil urbano.
Entre estos estilos, uno de nuestros favoritos es el Art Déco. Este se distinguía por sus formas geométricas atrevidas, sus detalles intrincados y una sensación de modernidad que cautivó al mundo a principios del siglo XX. En el país este estilo encontró un terreno especialmente fértil en la capital mexicana, donde sus artesanas, sus artistas o arquitectos infundían sus creaciones con materiales naturales locales y elementos culturales, lo que dio lugar a una interpretación mexicana única del Art Déco.
Las acuarelas retratan detalles que llamaron nuestra atención esta primavera.