Ghanaian Indigenous Vegetable Tanned Leather, A
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GHANAIAN INDIGENOUS VEGETABLE TANNED LEATHER, A POTENTIAL MATERIAL FOR MARQUETRY By MONICA NTIM (B.A. INTEGRATED RURAL ART AND INDUSTRY) A Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY INTEGRATED ART (LEATHER TECHNOLOGY) Department of Integrated Rural Art and Industry College of Art and Built Environment SEPTEMBER, 2015 © 2015, Department of Integrated Rural Arts and Industry DECLARATION I hereby declare that this submission is my own study towards a Master of Philosophy in Integrated Art (Leather Technology) and that, to the best of my knowledge, it contains no material previously published by another person nor material which has been accepted for the award of any degree of the University, except where due acknowledgment has been made in the text. Monica Ntim (PG8357412) ………………… …………….... Student‟s Name I.D. No. Signature Date Certified by Dr J.O.B Boahin ………………… …………..…. Supervisor‟s Name Signature Date Certified by Dr J.O.B Boahin ………………… ….………… Head of Department Signature Date ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My appreciation goes to the most Holy God for His protection and guidance bestowed to me throughout the research. I express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Dr. J. O. B. Boahin for his motivation, time, patience, friendship and also given a sense of direction in my work for their knowledge and skills. My special thanks also go to my family, friends and all my loved ones who in one way or the other challenged me to complete the work. 21/09/2015 M.N. iii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my entire family, friends and all Leatherworkers in Ghana iv ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to use Ghanaian indigenous vegetable tanned leather as a potential material for marquetry. The term marquetry is derived from a French word “Marqueterie” meaning inlaid work. It is a technique in furniture making where the grain patterns and the colours of wood veneer are used to create pictures. Wood veneers are well known in the world as common material used for marquetry, other materials such as metals, straw, horn, shells and mother of pearls are also used, and hence these materials have common characteristics for marquetry work. The need to embark on developing strategies to boost the national economy, and at the same time to add value to the Ghanaian Indigenous Vegetable Tanned Leather; a local material very versatile and easily obtainable can serve as a potential material for marquetry since its properties and characteristics are enormous. This material is manipulated for diverse uses such as body items, upholstery, household items, containers, sports items and entertainment items. Ghanaian furniture manufactured can tap into this technique in their field of endeavour to bring innovation and creativity. The researcher employed qualitative research using the descriptive and experimental methods; the descriptive method was used to describe the procedures and processes of constructing marquetry with Ghanaian indigenous vegetable tanned leather. The purposive sampling was used to select the sample size. The researcher used interview guide and observation as data collection instruments for the study. In the light of this, the researcher observed that the Ghanaian wood workers and sellers are acquainted with the technical use of wood veneer, besides most customers have also been exposed to the use of wood veneer products. This project will enable leather technologist and furniture producers acquire the skills and techniques in producing leather marquetry. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ....................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION .......................................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF PLATES ..................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER ONE ...................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Background to the Study ...................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................................... 2 1.4 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................ 3 1.5 Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 3 1.6 Research Questions .............................................................................................................. 3 1.7 Delimitation ......................................................................................................................... 4 1.8 Limitation ............................................................................................................................. 4 1.9 Significance of the Study ..................................................................................................... 4 1.10 Definition of Terms............................................................................................................ 5 1.11 Organization of the Study .................................................................................................. 5 CHAPTER TWO ..................................................................................................................... 6 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ................................................................................. 6 vi 2.1 Overview .............................................................................................................................. 6 2.3 Historical Overview of Marquetry ....................................................................................... 7 2.4 Adhesives for Marquetry ..................................................................................................... 9 2.5 Marquetry Finishing Techniques ....................................................................................... 10 2.6 Theoretical Review on Vegetable Tanning ........................................................................ 11 2.7 Historical Overview of Ghanaian Indigenous Vegetable Tanning .................................... 12 2.8 Procedures Involved in Indigenous Vegetable Tanning .................................................... 13 2.9 Properties and Characteristics of Leather for Marquetry ................................................... 14 CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................... 16 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 16 3.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................ 16 3.2 Research Design................................................................................................................. 16 3.3 Library Research ................................................................................................................ 17 3.4 Population for the Study .................................................................................................... 17 3.5 Sampling Technique .......................................................................................................... 17 3.5.1 Sample Size ..................................................................................................................... 18 3.6.1 Observation ..................................................................................................................... 19 3.6.2 Interview ......................................................................................................................... 19 3.8 Primary Data ...................................................................................................................... 20 3.9 Secondary Data .................................................................................................................. 20 3.10Data Collection Procedure ................................................................................................ 21 3.11Data Analysis Plan ............................................................................................................ 21 3.12 Data Collection for Objective One..................................................................................