JULY 22 - AUG 2ND, 2024. LOULÉ, portugal

MADE IN BASKETRY SUMMER SCHOOL

The Made In Basketry Summer School, organized by Passa Ao Futuro in partnership with Loulé Criativo, was part of the European project Made In Platform for Contemporary Crafts & Design and focused on Plant-Based Design.

Through an open call, ten students were selected. For two weeks, they learned from and collaborated with five artisans, each of whom mastered a different raw material and technique.

Organized in duos, the students worked with an artisan and together faced the challenge of rethinking the use of traditional basketry techniques and applying them to contemporary utilitarian pieces. Due to the variety of techniques and fibers available, the final products were quite diverse, but they all have one thing in common: they were designed and produced with the sustainability concepts of Cradle to Cradle and Circular Economy in mind. All are made from non-toxic natural materials that biodegrade and, when combined with other components, can be easily separated for recycling, reuse or repair.

OUTCOMES

HÉLIA

Table & Ceiling lamp

Alicia Knight & Sara Cherry - Students
& Sónia Mendez - Palm Artisan

Using the traditional palm weaving technique, typically applied to revolved pieces, this project explores the connection between different forms and the plasticity of this technique. This exploration results in the collection HÉLIA, which includes two lamps: a table lamp and a ceiling lamp. The collection is a fusion of ideas and personalities, reflected in three sides, three perspectives, and three pairs of hands. The geometric and industrial form meets the artisanal, organic, and manual technique, as the lamps synthesize these contrasts.

vazios

Jars

Helena Silva & Laure Julien - Students
& Olímpia Cabrita - Palm and Cane Artisan

Jars are one of the timeless centerpieces of a traditional Portuguese kitchen.
This project is a research on the poetic combination of the Portuguese cane and palm weaving with the Japanese bamboo thermoforming technique, offering transparency, flexibility, and lightness to the traditional jar. The partial weaving of each jar evokes the cracks of the reconstituted ancient pottery found in the Islamic Baths Museum of Loulé, while the burned edges of the cane graphically emphasize the form and counterform of the two jars, supporting each other’s balance.

plet

Desk divider panel

Lara Selmanović & Tiago Correia - Students
& Nuno Henriques - Soft-rush Artisan

Plet is a room divider that challenges the technique of traditional soft-rush basketry by giving it a different use. With a playful pop of color running through the woven soft rush panel, filled with the leftovers of the plants for natural acoustic properties, Plet creates a private yet inviting workspace that can grow and adapt to the needs of the space by adding additional modules. The panel is mounted on a wooden frame that provides stability and structure to the woven raw material. The frame has entrances so that hooks can be added, allowing it to be suspended to become a hanging unit.

handLine

Tray, bowl and basket

Hana Tavčar & João Barrulas - Students
& Isabel Martins - Baracejo Artisan

Handline is a collection of utilitarian products for daily use developed in baracejo, a native plant harvested by hand near the Serra da Malcata, Portugal. The collection uses the traditional technique of coiled basketry and is divided into three typologies; a tray, a bowl and a basket. Handline plays with a colorful cotton yarn that is woven around the handles, creating a dynamic contrast with the natural shade of the bracejo.

ISI BRUSHES

Brushes

Calvin Middel & Rufus Seagrim - Students
& Isidoro Ramos - Esparto Artisan

A series of friendly household brushes Isi brushes explores the construction of the traditional esparto table brush, playing with proportion and scale. Using the hairs of the brush and the wrap of the braided handle as graphic elements, each brush has character: a grandparent, child, or household pet.