The material culture of basketry : practice, skill and embodied knowledge / edited by Stephanie Bunn and Victoria Mitchell.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Bunn, Stephanie, editor.

Mitchell, Victoria, editor.

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Basketwork.

Material culture.

Basketwork--Social aspects.

Nature (Aesthetics).

Art and technology.

Art and science.

Basketwork--Therapeutic use.

Social aspects.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 286 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

London, UK ; New York, NY : Bloomsbury Visual Arts, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2021.

Summary:

"The Material Culture of Basketry argues for the recognition of practical basketwork as a culturally significant practice, as a theoretically rich discipline which has much in common with mathematics and engineering, as a mode of sustainable craft and design, and as a socially beneficial source of skill and care. The book presents basketry as an understudied and under appreciated discipline, which in fact has much to offer the modern world. Contributors show how local knowledge of materials, plants and place are central to the craft. Case studies include an investigation of perishable materials and the passing of time, an assessment of craft 'culture loss' and a photo-essay exploring the theme of memory in Andean khipu knots. Similarly, the structure and skill in basketwork are shown to represent a significant form of textile technology, and the book argues that the patterns and geometric forms that emerge through basketwork reflect an embodied knowledge which parallels mathematics and engineering. Basketry's inherently sustainable nature is also considered. An illustrated case study focusing on the Osmia bee and thatched roofs casts new light on how we perceive craft and nature, and an exploration of recycled materials in basketry is included. And finally, the therapeutic value of the craft is recognised through a selection of case studies which consider basketry as a healing process for patients with brain injuries, and as a memory aid for people living with dementia. This reclaims basketry's significant role in occupational therapy as an agent of recovery and well-being. Above all the book envisages basketry as an intellectually rewarding means of knowing. It presents the craft as embodying care for skilled making and for the social and natural environments in which it flourishes"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. ONE Materials and processes: From plant to basket and beyond

Introduction / Victoria Mitchell

1. Bird nest building / Maria C. Tello-Ramos

2. Binding place / Caroline Dear

3. Archaeological basketry and cultural identity in Ancient Egypt / Willeke Wendrich

4. The sustainability of English traditional willow basketmaking / Mary Butcher

5. Drawing out a tune - from head to hand / Tim Johnson

6. Material values / Lois Walpole

pt. TWO Basketry as maths, pattern and engineering

Introduction / Stephanie Bunn

7. On the continuities between craft and mathematical practices / Ricardo Nemirovsky

8. Friction: An engineer's perspective on weaving grass rope bridges / Ian Ewart

9. Basketry and maths: Some thoughts and practical exercises / Geraldine Jones

10. Counting, number, loops and lines / Mary Crabb

11. Extracts from `Imagining the body politic: The knot in Pacific imagination' / Susanne Kuchler

12. Secret strings: The sounds of fibre and ply / William P. Hyland

13. Exploring mathematical and craft literacies: Learning to read and learning to make patterned baskets in Vanuatu / Lucie Hazelgrove-Planel

pt. THREE Gathering knowledge: Basketry as a medium of memory, belonging and evocation m

14. Snare and enfold / Caroline Dear

15. Irish woven communities: A glimpse into the Irish indigenous basketry tradition / Joe Hogan

16. The primordial basket / John Mack

17. Straw ropes and wattle walls: Aspects of the material culture of basketry in Atlantic Scotland / Hugh Cheape

18. Woven Communities: From handwork to heritage in Scottish vernacular basketry / Stephanie Bunn

19. Making baskets, making exhibitions: Indigenous Australian baskets at the British Museum / Lissant Bolton

pt. FOUR Basketry: Healing and recovery

20. Basketry as a therapeutic activity / Florence Cannavacciuolo

21. The hand-memory work of An Lanntair in the Outer Hebrides / Jon Macleod

22. Hand memories in basketwork and net-making among people with dementia in Uist and Lewis, told through life-moment stories and associated images / Paula Brown

23. Meeting Angus MacPhee, the Weaver of Grass. Interview with Joyce Laing, 2016 / Stephanie Bunn

24. Making grass replicas inspired by the work of Angus MacPhee / Joanne B. Kaar

25. The legacy of the First World War for basketmaking / Hilary Burns

26. Extracts from an interview with scholar and occupational therapist Dr Catherine Paterson, MBE. Taken from a collaborative film made with the University of Hertfordshire and the Woven Communities Project, University of St Andrews / Catherine Paterson

27. Basketmaking as an activity to enhance brain injury neurorehabilitation / Tim Palmer

pt. FIVE Renewal and realignment: The embodied knowledge of basketry

28. Rush to design / Felicity Irons

29. Nearly lost: Learning knots, knowing knots, loving knots and `passing it on' / Des Pawson

30. Renewing a `dying craft': The Serfenta Association of Poland / Paulina Adamska

31. The cultural wastepaper basket / Ian Tait

32. Braiding and dancing: Rhythmic interlacing and patterns of interaction / Victoria Mitchell

33. Weaving together: Human-robot-relations of basketry and knitting / Pat Treusch.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Other Format:

Online version: The material culture of basketry

ISBN:

9781350094031

135009403X

OCLC:

1152360618

Publisher Number:

99988448712

16638963