ABSTRACT
The making of art or the creation of it is inherent, though, mostly latent in the human consciousness. From the very beginning, prior to recorded history, the questtobecreativehasbeenassociatedwithalmosteverylivingentity,thisfactis even more apt in human beings, as a consequence of their transformative as well as imaginative innate tendencies. History is replete with several civilizations, coming up with or showcasing their creative ideas, most of which became revolutionary.
Africa is in no way, left out in this universal creative prowess. The Esan people, from whom this researcher is taking a cue, are renowned for several traditional achievements, chief among which is bead works. Suffice to state that apart from beadwork, their other major means of expression is hand woven fabric, otherwise referred to as Egbulu, which over time, has become a trademark of sort for the Esan ethnic group.
The creative combination of the handwoven fabric design and the beadwork patterns of the Esan people, becomes the thrust of this researcher’s practical project. A systematic fusion of the creative application of Egbulu handwoven fabric concept is captured in beadwork to create a new version of art pieces. The final output is putinto bag making, which could be a complement to the complete Esan traditional attire.
