For years, I wanted to learn basket making. Then I learned that my great grandfather was the village basket maker. Through a combination of self-led experimentation, reading, and watching videos of artisans working, I have been learning how to weave baskets. In 2019 I wove one basket, and it was from a kit. During the summer of 2020, I began weaving my own designs.
While learning the basics of weaving, I interrogated what I was doing. Why was I making these baskets out of materials from halfway around the world that could break down so easily?
As I wove, I realized that making biodegradable baskets with the knowledge that they would die within my lifetime was a good thing. I have a need to make things with my hands. And I don’t have unlimited amounts of space in which to store my baskets, even if they are just a few inches big. More importantly, the process of degradation can be healthy. When plastic breaks down, it breaks down into smaller pieces of plastic that cause environmental and health concerns. When vegetable matter breaks down, it breaks down into its constituent parts, which includes nutrients that can amend soil and feed plants. By coating my baskets with beeswax, I could create planters that would hopefully last longer than one growing season while helping return useful plant matter to the soil as they aged. My designs could be regenerative.
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