Hybrid Basketry at Origin

A basket is a bowl is a hat is a ball is a bird is a cage is a bin is a basket…

Working with the idea that you can weave a basket with almost anything and in so many different ways, Shane Waltener lead an interactive project at Origin in October 2009 at Somerset House,London. Visitors had an opportunity to customise basketware and contribute to a woven sculptural installation. Basketry items were stripped, transformed, passed on to others, and incorporated into a growing display in the Crafting Space at the fair. Salvaged basketware includes domestic items and a variety of materials ranging from natural fibres to plastics.

The installation blended the sculptural with the functional. Various techniques of weaving, knotting, stitching, plaiting and netting were introduced on a daily basis, establishing connections between a number of applied arts traditions and basketry. The communal making and time spent weaving aimed to prompt a renewed engagement and enthusiasm in basketry, and making in general.

For more information on the event, please visit the following link, or read the following article.

Labels: hybrid basketry, origin craft fair, practical basketry techniques