Fibre Art Basketry

Explore the modern tradition of fibre art basketry combining natural and man made materials creating contemporary sculptural vessels.

Following the revelation that modern basketmaking could be a form of creative expression, American artist and basketmaker Ed Rossbach influenced a new basketry tradition in the 1960’s and 70’s alongside his students at the University of California at Berkeley. Combining traditional techniques with an innovative approach, contemporary basketmaking evolved into the diverse and international making community that it is today.

In this workshop you will explore several techniques that offer great flexibility for creative making beyond the constrains of purely functional basketry. Starting with foundation skills such as cordage making and twining we will create organic openwork vessels and introduce additional techniques as suggested by the making process. Binding, knotting, ply splitting and the ‘free warp tapestry’ techniques of Tadek Beutlich will be introduced creating a stimulating palette of structures to inspire your contemporary vessels and making explorations.

We will work with a variety of soft materials, with rush as our foundation, we will combine different yarns, threads and strings with recycled fabrics and natural materials gathered from the environs of West Dean College exploring their different properties and creating variety in colour and texture.

We will take time to wander in the gardens and arboretum of West Dean to gather not only materials but also inspiration for our makings. Natural forms and attention to detail can provide us with creative starting points and solutions to our making investigations. Will use drawing as a tool to guide us and aid the gathering of form, texture and line.

https://www.westdean.ac.uk/short-courses/s5d40313-fibre-art-basketry