NGANGA, Nsaka Sandrine (2026) Translating Kuba Raffia: Documented 3D Material Assets, Corpus and Field Research Data (2025-2026). [Data Collection]
Abstract
This dataset documents the translation of Kuba raffia textiles from the Democratic Republic of Congo into ethically documented digital 3D materials. At the start of the project, only one Kuba raffia asset existed in major 3D material libraries, published without motif name, cultural context or maker consent. The dataset includes documentation of six 3D material assets (five based on a corpus of documented pieces and one original authored asset, Lubongo), with preview renders and records of each asset's motif name, source, credit and cultural context. The asset files themselves remain within the KIMA3D library to protect makers' rights. The dataset also includes photographs and descriptive records of a ten-piece corpus acquired and transmitted in Kinshasa, field notes, and thematic summaries of four research interviews with a master weaver, a museum curator, a 3D material creator and a software product team. Together they show how cultural context, naming and attribution can travel with a textile into digital fashion workflows. The data supports the KIMA3D research platform (kima3d.com) and the MA Fashion Innovation project "Translating Kuba Raffia: Source, Archive and Global Circulation".
| Additional Information: | Depositing user's licence comment: Dataset to be considered for the "Data as a Story: New Data, New Narratives" showcase (RKE Conference, December 2026), in contact with Amie Longthorne. Licence CC BY-NC chosen to protect Kuba motifs from commercial reuse, as explained in the README. The 3D asset files are intentionally excluded; only their documentation is shared. No embargo requested. | ||||
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| Creators: | NGANGA, Nsaka Sandrine | ||||
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | 3D material; 3D material library; Congolese textile heritage; decolonising design; Democratic Republic of Congo; digital fashion; digital material culture; ethical attribution; Kuba raffia; 330315 Textile and fashion design; 430203 Cultural heritage management (incl. world heritage) | ||||
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.24377/LJMU.d.00000286 | ||||
| Division: | Art & Design | ||||
| Field of Research: | Built environment and design > Design > Textile and fashion design History, heritage and archaeology > Heritage, archive and museum studies > Cultural heritage management (incl. world heritage) |
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| Date Deposited: | 08 Oct 2026 13:25 | ||||
| Last Modified: | 08 Oct 2026 13:25 | ||||
| Related resources: | |||||
| URI: | https://opendata.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/286 | ||||
| Data collection method: | Practice-led research combining fieldwork in Kinshasa (June to July 2026: workshop visits, acquisition and documentation of a ten-piece corpus), four recorded semi-structured interviews (December 2025 to June 2026), archival and museum research, and digital material creation of 3D assets using Adobe Substance 3D and CLO3D. | ||||
| Geographic coverage: | Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; New York, United States; Liverpool, United Kingdom | ||||
| Resource language: | English; French | ||||
| Metadata language: | English | ||||
| Statement on legal, ethical and access issues: | Research was conducted under LJMU UREC ethics approval 260312LJMUACIREC25. The primary knowledge holder, Papa Shama Kwete Nicolas, gave consent to be named publicly (UREC amendment). Interview material is shared only to the extent permitted by each participant's consent; where full transcripts cannot be shared, thematic summaries are provided instead. Kuba motifs are authored cultural knowledge: according to the primary source, most motifs belong to their makers and families, and only the maker can name them. Each asset is therefore credited to its source and documented with its cultural context. The original asset Lubongo was authored by the researcher and is not derived from the corpus. The data is shared for research and educational use only; commercial reuse is not permitted. | ||||
| Collection period: |
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