launch at last

I can hardly believe it’s over a month already since the launch of Practical Basketry Techniques. I meant to post images here right after the event; blogger’s block or being really busy, I can’t really say why I’m so late doing this, but here they are at last.

The installation at the launch included outcomes of projects in the book displayed amongst a number of other ready made and customised baskets, some of them previously installed at the Hybrid Basketry project at Origin. The display aimed to illustrate the wide range of materials and techniques introduced in the book, as well as its re-use and recycling ethos. One of the aims with the publication was to take basketry ‘out of the countryside’ and make it relevant to an urban context, while also appealing to a broad readership of artists, designers, makers and non makers. You might not have a garden or be able to source willow locally, but inspired by projects in the book, you’ll seize the opportunity to use green waste collected by a neighbour, or hack into discarded objects for materials to weave with.

Twined and coiled hedgerow baskets using bindweed, buddleya, dogwood and grasses.

On the night of the launch, I was thrilled to see people come early (even if it was just to get their free copy of the book!), and from then on we had a table full of people making in the meeting room at Siobhan Davies Studios. Sadly we got no pictures of this, everyone being too busy plaiting at the time.

Thanks to Davida Saunders from A&C Black and Katy Bevan from the Crafts Council for introducing the book, Ranbing Gong for leading the plaiting workshop, Siobhan Davies Studios for hosting the event, as well as all of you who made it to the launch, it was a wonderful evening.

Plaited constructions using banana fibre, newspaper and edition of Crafts Magazine (top), 'Broken China' basket included in plaiting chapter of Practical Basketry Techniques (bottom).

Hacked IKEA lampshades using grasses, yarn and coffee stirrers (top), Penny Pot included in twining chapter of Practical Basketry Techniques (middle), lampshade using wire and crystals included in interlacing chapter of Practical Basketry Techniques (bottom).

Gathering baskets included in stake and strand chapter of Practical Basketry Techniques with paper strip interlaced construction and balloon (top image).

book launch for Practical Basketry Techniques

The book launch for Practical Basketry Techniques will be held at Siobhan Davies Studios this Friday 24 February, between 6.30 and 8.30pm.

A basketry installation with some of the projects included in the book will be on show at the studios, as well as other works inspired by them and by the Hybrid Basketry show at Origin in 2009, which resulted in the commissioning of this book.

Expect basketry demonstrations throughout the event as well as the possibility of taking home a free copy of the book should you be lucky enough to be one of the first five people to arrive at the launch. Click here for further details on the event, and here for a press release. See also previous posts on this blog for further tips and info on basketry.

the world as weave

Planning ahead for the book launch of the Practical Basketry Techniques during my exhibition at Siobhan Davies Studios in February, Ranbing and I have been making these interlaced constructions out of hand drawn lining paper. The paper baskets will be part of a number of woven pieces displayed at the launch. The technique for making these tie in with one of the interlacing project in the publication. The felt tip pattern was designed to mirror the structure of the basket, and add a touch of colour to differentiate the inside from the outside surface of the baskets. Where the openings were created, the strips were reversed and the coloured pattern switched from inside to outside, and vice versa. The idea was to make these constructions as light as possible so a helium filled balloons could be placed inside these to make them float about us at the event. For information on the launch and exhibition, click here.

Working on these had me think of Tim Ingold's fantastic book 'The Perception of the Environment: essays on livelihood, dwelling and skill'. Writing about weaving a basket, he says 'The world of our experience is, indeed, continually and endlessly coming into being around us as we weave. If it has a surface, it is like the surface of a basket: it has no 'inside' or 'outside'. Mind is not above, nor nature below; rather, if we ask where mind is, it is in the weave of the surface itself. And it is within this weave that our projects of making, whatever they may be, are formulated and come to fruition. Only if we are capable of weaving, only then can we make.' (Ingold 2000, pg.348)

Well, this confirms it, the world is one big weave, and any action we take in it consists of weaving and tying things together.