In northern Niger, Tuareg weavers indicate the time spent making their baskets by weaving a small bit of indigo thread at the point where they stop weaving each day. These markers tell the human tale of how each day’s work is carried out at a different pace, with family responsibilities or traditional obligations sometimes taking priority in these rural communities. The exact hours dedicated to the Points du Jour (markers of the day) baskets may be unknown, but the succession of many days spent weaving is vividly documented.

We fill homes with pot-plant holders, beach bags and fruit bowls all expertly handwoven by a craftsperson, yet we seldom know where the basket was made, with which material it was coiled or twined, or how long it took to be created...