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From
Baskets to Boats:
Transferring
traditional craft skills to contemporary design applications.
Description and aims
The project is situated in the field of sustainable materials and
the crafts-design dialogue. It addresses the transfer of traditional
crafts skills towards their application in a contemporary design
context. The specific focus will be on the aspect of basket making
skills in skin-boats, an important maritime tradition of the Western
Seaboard of Europe, including Cornwall. During the five day project,
it is intended to build a skin boat of willow frame construction
(a design from the Bunbeg area, Co. Donegal) in order to investigate
and transfer its construction techniques, application of sustainable
materials, technical solutions and performance. In parallel, two
boats will be constructed with similar techniques and materials
by FCA students to designs that have been developed in their coursework.
The
project aims:
- to investigate in the application of sustainable material in traditional
crafts and vernacular objects
-to understand relevant techniques and work methods and provide
students with transferable skill for use in contemporary design
applications
-to demonstrate the significance of materials, skills and resulting
objects in a wider cultural context
-to facilitate dialogue between students, scholars, craftspeople/makers
in the field, a wider public and possible future employers
-to offer students direct contact with practitioners and researchers
in the field in a work environment
The
project is directly related to issues of material culture, sustainability
and design processes within the 3D and Spatial Design programmes.
Students, as well as staff will benefit from direct involvement
with practitioners and the invited specialist.
Public
involvement
The workshop will be documented by photos and video and it is anticipated
that talks, outcome and findings will be made available in form
of a written and illustrated document as well as on the FCA website.
The finished boats will take an integral part in the fair’s final
day performance by towing willow sculptures out to sea. It is expected
that this event will be well covered by local and regional media.
Prior to the performance they will be publicly exhibited in context
of the basket fair for several days. Throughout the building process,
the public is invited to visit the workshop to watch the making
of the boats. A seminar/talk and possibly a film evening will be
open to the public.
Dates
and location
8 - 13 June 2003 at Chyvarloe, Porthleven
The project is affiliated with the Porthleven Basket Fair 2003,
an event that encompasses courses, demonstrations, performance and
cultural events, organised by the Cornish basket maker Geraldine
Jones.
We
have an article written by Holger Lonze if you would to read
it as a web page.
Timescale
- April-June
2003 Archive
and materials research Briefing, Developing designs with students
and staff Acquisition and preparation of material Workshop with
students to introduce basic skills
- 8-13
June 2003 Boat building workshop at Porthleven Talks, seminars,
cultural side-events
- 14th
June 2003 Launching boats at Porthleven Harbour, public presentation
- End
of June 2003 Feedback and critical analysis of project with students
Documentation, paper, brochure
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