README Translating Kuba Raffia: Documented 3D Material Assets, Corpus and Field Research Data (2025-2026) ==================================================================== 1. ABOUT THE DATASET ==================================================================== Title: Translating Kuba Raffia: Documented 3D Material Assets, Corpus and Field Research Data (2025-2026) Creator: Nsaka Sandrine NGANGA, Liverpool School of Art and Design, Liverpool John Moores University Affiliated organisation: Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), Institute of Art and Technology Rights holder: Nsaka Sandrine NGANGA Kuba motifs remain the cultural property of their makers, their families and the Kuba community (see Terms of use). Year of publication: 2026 ==================================================================== 2. DESCRIPTION ==================================================================== 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. This dataset responds to that gap by showing how cultural context, naming and attribution can travel with a textile into digital fashion workflows. The dataset includes: - documentation of five 3D material assets (four based on pieces from the research corpus and one original asset authored by the researcher, Lubongo): a preview render and a record of each asset's motif name, source, credit and cultural context. The asset files themselves are not included and remain within the KIMA3D library (https://kima3d.com) to protect makers' rights; - photographs and descriptive records of the research corpus acquired and documented in Kinshasa; - field notes from research in Kinshasa (June to July 2026); - an edited transcript of the interview with the primary knowledge holder, and thematic summaries of three further exchanges with a museum curator, a 3D material artist and a software product manager. Key characteristics: - Terminology follows the primary source: the fibre is mbala, drawn from the stem of the ibole palm; the garments are bushongo; the cloth is also named shombo. The word "raffia", described by the source as a colonial term, is retained in the title for discoverability only. - The original asset Lubongo was authored by the researcher, inspired by Kuba hook and maze forms and a raffia bag owned by the researcher. It is NOT derived from any corpus piece and must not be confused with the corpus-based assets. - Access to the 3D asset files is managed through the KIMA3D library, so that motifs stay attached to their makers, their names and their context. How to cite this dataset: NGANGA, N. S. (2026). Translating Kuba Raffia: Documented 3D Material Assets, Corpus and Field Research Data (2025-2026). Dataset. Liverpool John Moores University. Please use the DOI shown on the dataset's repository page. Related work: NGANGA, N. S. (2026). Translating Kuba Raffia: Source, Archive and Global Circulation. MA Fashion Innovation Major Project, Liverpool John Moores University. Research platform: https://kima3d.com ==================================================================== 3. CONTACT DETAILS ==================================================================== Principal investigator: Nsaka Sandrine NGANGA Email: N.S.Nganga@ljmu.ac.uk ==================================================================== 4. TERMS OF USE ==================================================================== Copyright (c) 2026 Nsaka Sandrine NGANGA. This dataset is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC 4.0). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ You may share and adapt the data for non-commercial research and educational purposes, provided you credit the creator and the cultural sources named in the dataset. Cultural note: according to the primary source, most Kuba motifs are authored. Only the maker can name a motif, families hold their own motifs, the ibole emblem belongs to the royalty, and some motifs give rise to rights paid to the king. Users must keep the motif names, credits and cultural context attached to each asset, and must not use the motifs commercially. ==================================================================== 5. PROJECT AND FUNDING INFORMATION ==================================================================== Project title: Translating Kuba Raffia: Source, Archive and Global Circulation Project dates: October 2025 to August 2026 Funding: Liverpool John Moores University, Institute of Art and Technology, QR Outputs & Supporting Activities Fund 2025/26. Liverpool John Moores University, Institute of Art and Technology, Staff Research Development Support 2025/26. Ethics approval: LJMU UREC ref. 260312LJMUACIREC25 (MA Fashion Innovation project) LJMU UREC ref. 260617LJMUREC666 (interview with Papa Shama Kwete Nicolas) ==================================================================== 6. CONTENTS ==================================================================== README_Translating_Kuba_Raffia.txt This file. 01_Asset_Documentation.zip One folder per asset: Mapwete, Ntshak, Placage_3_Colours, Shoowa (corpus-based) and Lubongo (original authored asset, not from the corpus). Each folder contains, for example in Mapwete: Mapwete_sphere.jpg Preview render of the material on a sphere Mapwete_record.pdf Asset record: motif name, meaning, source, material, digital translation, credit, rights and a link to the asset page on https://kima3d.com The 3D asset files themselves are not included in this dataset. 02_Corpus.zip Photographs (.jpg) and descriptive records (.pdf) of the corpus pieces acquired and documented in Kinshasa. 03_Field_Notes.zip Field_Notes_Kinshasa_June-July_2026.pdf Field notes written during fieldwork in Kinshasa, 22 June to 6 July 2026. 04_Interviews.zip Interviews_Overview.pdf List of the four exchanges, ethics and consent. 01_Papa_Shama_Kwete_Nicolas_Transcript.pdf Edited transcript (English) of the interview of 26 June 2026. 02_Monica_L_Miller_Thematic_Summary.pdf Thematic summary of the interview of 10 December 2025. 03_Pauline_Boiteux_Thematic_Summary.pdf Thematic summary of the interview of 12 March 2026. 04_Adobe_Substance_3D_Thematic_Summary.pdf Thematic summary of a written exchange with Vincent Gault, Product Manager, Adobe Substance 3D (2026). File naming convention: Item name, then content type, joined by underscores, with no spaces or accents (for example Mapwete_record.pdf). Software used to open the files: - Images (.jpg) open in any image software - Documents (.pdf) open in any PDF reader The 3D assets documented here were created with Adobe Substance 3D Designer and tested in CLO3D. ==================================================================== 7. METHODS ==================================================================== Practice-led research combining four methods: 1. Fieldwork in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (22 June to 6 July 2026): workshop visits, a visit to the IRMA fashion institute, a visit to the Musee National de la RDC, and the acquisition and documentation of the research corpus. 2. Interviews and exchanges (December 2025 to June 2026): - Papa Shama Kwete Nicolas, master sculptor and weaver, primary knowledge holder: remote interview via Microsoft Teams, 26 June 2026, recorded with the Congo Vision Image production team; opened in Lingala, transcribed in French and translated into English; - Professor Monica L. Miller, Barnard College, Columbia University: remote interview via Microsoft Teams, 10 December 2025; - Pauline Boiteux, 3D material artist, creator of the only pre-existing Kuba asset on Adobe Substance 3D: remote interview via Microsoft Teams, 12 March 2026; - Vincent Gault, Product Manager, Adobe Substance 3D: written exchange via LinkedIn, 2026. 3. Archival and museum research, including the Superfine exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (October 2025), the Musee National de la RDC in Kinshasa, and Georges Meurant, "Dessin Shoowa: Textiles africains du Royaume Kuba" (Credit Communal, Brussels, 1986). 4. Digital material creation: corpus pieces were studied and translated into seamless parametric PBR materials in Adobe Substance 3D Designer, with the weave modelled fibre by fibre, and tested in CLO3D. Each asset was documented with its motif name, source, credit and cultural context. This dataset shares the documentation and one preview render per asset; the asset files remain within the KIMA3D library. People involved: Data collection, analysis and asset creation: Nsaka Sandrine NGANGA. Primary source: Papa Shama Kwete Nicolas, who consented to being named. Interview recording: Congo Vision Image production team. Further detail on methods is available in the MA Fashion Innovation Major Project and on https://kima3d.com.