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isabelmcgarva

Archaeological, traditional and contemporary basketry with the occasional hedgerow find thrown in. Join my newsletter for courses!

LE FAIT MAIN *HANDMADE* . L'expo d'été à la Po

LE FAIT MAIN *HANDMADE*
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L'expo d'été à la Poterie McGarva ça commence le 16 juillet avec ateliers de vannerie et vernissage!
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C'est ouvert tous les après-midi du 17 au 23 juillet de 14h à 18h30 et vous pourrez y voir les textiles de Clare, les poteries d'Andrew ainsi qu'une toute nouvelle collection de mes paniers!
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Il reste encore une place pour tresser l'écorce de saule le 16, et une ou deux places pour faire des plateaux en osier le 19 (infos en mp).
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A bientôt pour tresser ensemble, ou pour partager une visite ou un verre pour le vernissage!
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#SaôneetLoire #artisanat #handmande #lefaitmain #poteriemcgarva #textiles #poterie #vannerie #expositiondété #Bourgogne

Musée de la préhistoire du Grand Pressigny . I

Musée de la préhistoire du Grand Pressigny
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I happened upon one of the most emblematic of French prehistoric museums... this incredible ruined château with a hypermodern museum built into it to preserve and show one of the oldest collection of flint tools in France. I thought the exhibition was particularly well done and showed a lot of flint knapping demo videos. Of course textiles, basketry and wooden objects were beyond scarce but seeing the level of artistry developed here so long ago it's hard not to imagine the incredible skill they would also have had for easier sourced materials: they must have applied their beautiful blades to something once they were made! In these slides you can see the scale models of prehistoric animals on the museum terrace, the Grand Pressigny blades with their wrapped handles,a fragment of some textile and some spoons and whisks front the Swiss lakes. Examples of modern flint use are the beautiful threshing planks from Spain.
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I loved the fact they included a section about how the local population builds kitsch garden edges out of these flints they nicknamed "pounds of butter" and are several thousand years old... so trivialising! But faced with such multitudes they come across so banal to the locals. (Like antique St Amand stoneware salting pots in my part of the world).
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#museedugrandpressigny #flintcollection #flinttools #flintgardendecor

A poultry transport basket for Le Château à Mott

A poultry transport basket for Le Château à Motte!
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As I was near Angers I got to deliver one of my medieval poultry carriers! It's inspired and extrapolated from later sources that I have also been working on lately (more to come soon I hope!) And is the first of several pieces destined to be used in this municipal reenactment parc. Founded in the 80's @chateau.a.motte is a rare example of 10th century wooden architecture and is run by devoted educators that go between kids medieval birthday parties and researching and acquiring pieces like this to add to their historical collection.
I really enjoyed meeting two of the team of three who bring the place to life for kids, reenactors and historians or archaeologists alike.
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The temptation was huge to put this to a bardcore pink pony club, but I spared you and stayed serious... what would you have chosen as a musical backdrop? Any fitting motet recommendations?

Cabas "twill" in bark or straw braids . I had the

Cabas "twill" in bark or straw braids
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I had the honour of being invited to the first ever summer school of the newly formed basketry training programme at the Maison Familiale et Rurale "Le Verger" @cfp_cfa_mfr_leverger set up by none other than @atelier_brins_de_malice. For this occasion I treated my students to a selection of my best rolls of recently harvested and dried willow bark and a selection of straw braids to make the twill motif on their baskets. It was a real mix of students from pro makers to first time baskets with aspiring future students and people who had just finished the course in between... everyone did brilliantly despite the heat, and I'm happy to say I'll be teaching these ones again!
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It was wonderful to spend time in the beautiful Loire valley with its primroses and beautiful white cut stone buildings along the river that are so elegant and quite exotic and holiday-like to me who comes from a part of the same river some 400km away that's much wilder... Wonderful to be part of this new dynamic in basketry training and to meet master basketmaker @takayukishimizu_bamboo again.
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#stagesvannerie #universitédété #mfrgennes #formationvannerie #cabastwill #isabelmcgarva

The workshop is the ideal place to be during the h

The workshop is the ideal place to be during the heat wave. It's cold all year round so it's pretty rare I get to boast about it!
These pieces are destined to be in the family exhibition at @acmcgarva 's pottery for our event "le fait main" from the 16th to the 23rd of july more about that coming up soon!
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If you were wondering the basket above the lightbulb in the workshop pic is the "Crino" from the Bouxurulles post a couple posts back
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#workingoutside #medievalbuildingsareveryheatresilient #sometimesIstepouttofeelit

The ultimate archaeological basketry destination (

The ultimate archaeological basketry destination (for the later roman period)
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Anyone who has come to one of my archaeology of basketry classes, courses or conferences will have seen this image. A roman noblewoman among the nouveaux-riches of the empire thanks to the wine trade along the mosel river is depicted surrounded by her servants getting her hair done sitting in a fancy wicker chair. This tomb is preserved at the @rheinischeslandesmuseumtrier in Germany and is an incredible example of chair design of the late roman period.
Once there, there was so much more to see! It's always worth going to see these examples for real... believe it or not there is more than one wicker chair in that very exhibition! I'm so glad I made the trip! I have so much to fuel my passion for exploring ancient basketry.
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Trier is an amazing city to explore and has so much archaeology and history: the Neumaguen tombs and so much more in the Rheinischeslandes Museum, Constantine's basilica (so huge and humbling it's dizzying) but also the birthplace of Karl Marx for a change from material culture after a long day at the archaeological museum. Two and a half days wasn't actually enough to do the city justice but there's loads more to visit next time...
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#trier #basketryroadtriptogermany #designinantiquity #wickerchair

Basketspotting in Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy

Basketspotting in Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy
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My first stop off of my post-festival roadtrip was this fabulous museum... a reminder of all that has come before.
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#basketinspiration #lookingtothepast #anonymousgreatmastersofcenturiespast

Bouxurulles 2025 . What a blast! I was off teachin

Bouxurulles 2025
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What a blast! I was off teaching this year as per the festival rules so I got to take a course with the fabulous Andrea Magnolini to learn the "Crino" technique, a rustic basket made to harvest mulberry leaves to feed silkworms for the textile industry in Italy. An XL inverted neolithic weave that was a great brain teaser after nearly 8 years of braiding neolithic baskets in the opposite direction with a different pattern.
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The village lavoir (traditional washouse with watertank supplied by a cool source) was central to the festival during the courses to soak willow as it was super hot, and then for dunking in during the market. The cool building housed Jefke and Jenny's exhibition for the weekend. I was honored to be their translator during the presentation they made on conference night about their reseach on Belgian fine basketry (the last picture shows both of Jefke's masterpieces: a replica of the finework basket from the Belgium historical collection and his miniature collection following Brussels tradition)
Check out @jefkegeysels @mandenmakerijderatelaar and Andrea Magnolini (not on ig but who is also the author of brilliant books about Italian rustic basketry traditions but also kiln and mass stove building)
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The rest mostly stays in Bouxurulles and involoved meeting up with basket friends from all over, dance nights and the usual crazy stuff we get up to in this beautiful village far off the beaten track that lets us build a little basket bubble to forget about the world for a few beautiful sunny days...
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#basketryfestival #Bouxurulles #villageinthevosges #basketrycourses #basketmarket

Oooops I've fallen off the Instagram bandwagon sin

Oooops I've fallen off the Instagram bandwagon since early may! There have been so many roadtrips, basketry fairs, exhibitions, research expeditions and baskets made that I feel I need to do them justice! So in an ig faux-pas I'm just going to post them all quickly to catch up with the summer season that's allready here. (I don't know about you, but I lost all my photo archive a couple of years ago when I dropped a hard disk I had carefully archived my work and have come to value the chronological archive on here)
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A special shout out to friends who have come to my courses and have gone on to get fully trained in the french training programmes... some of you have just got your final exam results... Congratulations! 🥳
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#backonline #summershere #Congratulationstothenewlytrainedfrenchbasketmakers

~ exceptional wicker ~ . I got to help this beaut

~ exceptional wicker ~
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I got to help this beautiful 1912 wicker sidecar back to a usable condition. An incredible encounter that had to stay out on the terrace in the sun as she wouldn't fit through my narrow medieval workshop door! She now will get patina on my work and fitted out by an upholsterer back to her full glory!
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~ rotin exceptionnel ~
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J'ai eu le plaisir de participer à une étape de la restauration de ce sidecar rotin de 1912. Une rencontre avec un bolide emblématique qui a du se passer au soleil en terrasse car il ne passe pas mon étroite porte d'atelier médiéval! Et maintenant à la patine et passage en sellerie pour lui redonner sa gloire d'antan!
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#restauration #wickersidecar #sidecarenrotin #113yearsold #rattansidecar #vintagesidecar #antiquesidecar #antiquebasketry #wovensidecar #1912sidecar #isabelmcgarva

~sous les arbres roses~ . L'exposition à @poterie

~sous les arbres roses~
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L'exposition à @poteriedesampigny est comme un rêve de printemps avec son jardin plein de fleurs chatoyantes et ses salles d'exposition remplies de trésors! Pots Plantes Paniers Pains et Poésie c'est ouvert tous les jours en ce long week-end de pont!
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~ under the bright pink trees ~
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The exhibition at @poteriedesampigny is like a springtime dream with the garden full of flowers and the showrooms full of original pieces... Pots, Plants, Baskets, Breads and Poetry is open over the long week-end!
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#saoneetloire #maranges #exposition #artisanatcontemporain #potsplantespaniers #pain #poésie

(Retouvez toutes les infos dans les posts précédents)

~ hand-basket exhibition ~ . I'm thrilled to have

~ hand-basket exhibition ~
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I'm thrilled to have a few pieces in this year’s temporary exhibition at the Vlechtmuseum in Bornem, near Antwerp in Belgium!
The show has two sections: one exhibiting historical and vintage woven handbags and a second section presenting a collection of contemporary pieces curated to show the variety of contemporary basketry in which three of my handbag-baskets are featuring. As you can see on the posters (first and last slides) some of the antique pieces are absolute treasures and inspire to pair fine weaving with intricate metallic fixtures! They're so stylish!
It's on all summer until late november.
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~ exposition de paniers sacs à main ~
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Je suis ravie d'avoir été parmi les vannièr.e.s choisies pour représenter les sacs à main en vannerie contemporaine au Vlechtmuseum de Bornem près d'Anvers en Belgique! L'exposition se présente en deux parties: une tirée des collections du musée de paniers anciens historiques et vintage et un deuxième volet sur les pièces de vannerie contemporaines; où paraissent mes pièces en compagnie d'autres venus des quatre coins d'Europe. Comme vous pouvez l'entrevoir sur l'affiche (1ere et dernière photo du caroussel) les pièces anciennes fabuleuses inspirent avec leur vannerie fine d'osier ou de rotin et leurs attachements métalliques... Trop stylées!
L'expo est en place jusqu'à fin novembre!
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#handbagdesign #fashionhistory #stylishbaskets #handbaskets #wovenhandbags #vlechtmuseum #basketryexhibition #expositiondevannerie #antiquebaskets #antiquebasketry #contemporarycrafts #contemporarybasketry #handmadedesign #designermaker #basketry #willowbasketry #vanneriecontemporaine #sacamaindosier #sacamaintressé #sacamainvannerie #histoiredelavannerie #histoiredustyle #histoiredelamode

~cuvée 2025~ . Je vous ai concocté le programme

~cuvée 2025~
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Je vous ai concocté le programme de l'été! Il est dans la lettre d'information accessible avec le QR code ci-joint mais vous pouvez aussi suivre ce lien:
(httpdeuxslashseuxpoints) eepurl.com/jd11mk
On m'a demandé plus de choses pour les débutant.e.s et plus de choses pour les expert.e.s... alors il y a de tout!
J'ai hâte de tresser avec vous cet été!
A bientôt, Isabel
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~2025 season~
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The newsletter with my in courses is out! It happens in Burgundy France, for the most part so I write in french but do DM if interested... I've been asked for more beginner courses but also more expert classes... so here you have it all!
Bring on the summer 2025! Can't wait to weave with all of you... see you soon, Isabel
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#basketrycoursesfrance #stagesvannerie #beguinnerwillowclasses #basketryclasses #advancedbasketrycourse #vanneriedébutants #vannerieecorces #vanneriecreative #vanneriecontemporaine #stagevanneriedébutant #stagevanneriesurmesure

~Herbiers en fête~ . Demain c'est le festival "H

~Herbiers en fête~
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Demain c'est le festival "Herbiers en fête" à St Prix! Toute une journée dédiée au végétal en Morvan avec des balades botaniques, des ateliers pour petits et grands: potions, teintures végétales, distillerie, tisanes, plantes comestibles; des demonstrations, des repas preparés avec soin avec des produits locaux, des stands, des expositions, un goûter-concert, une projection de film, une conférence... et un atelier vannerie toute la journée bien sûr! On y fera des petites nacelles en point hochet (comme sur la première photo)
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Ravie d'avoir rejoint la collégiale "Herbiers en Morvan" pour valoriser les initiatives des producteur.ice.s du végétal et la richesse botanique du territoire... cette journée promet d'être géniale!
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#festival #herbiersenmorvan #herbiersenfête #ateliervannerie #décorationenvannerie #découvrirlosier

~danse des écorces~ . Mes vases en écorce dansen

~danse des écorces~
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Mes vases en écorce dansent sur le rebord de la fontaine de la poterie de Sampigny pour vous remercier de votre visite hier pour l'ouverture de l'exposition "Pots Plantes Paniers Pains et Poésie" qui reste ouverte jusqu'au 11 mai 2025 (infos dans le post précédent).
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~bark dance~
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My bark vases dance on the edge of the fountain at Sampigny Pottery to thank you all so much for coming to the opening of "Pots Plants Baskets Breads and Poetry" yesterday... do visit, the show's on until the 11th of may! (Info ins the last slides of my previous post).
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#contemporarycraft #basketry #barkbaskets #willowbasketry #willowbaskets #poteriedesampigny #saôneetloire #vasesenecorce #isabelmcgarva #vanneriecontemporaine #artisanatcontemporain #écorces

~rendez-vous~ . C'est beau, bon, ensoleillé et jo

~rendez-vous~
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C'est beau, bon, ensoleillé et joyeux pour l'ouverture aujourd'hui de l'expo "Pots Plantes Paniers Pains et Poésie" à la poterie de Sampigny (71) et c'est ouvert tous les jours jusqu'au 11 mai!
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It's joyous sunny and beautiful at Sampigny pottery for the opening day of the spring show "pots, plants, baskets, bread and poetry" and it's open until the 11th of may!
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#saoneetloire #poterie #exposition #vannerie #plantes

~experimental archaeology reed boats~ . Here is a

~experimental archaeology reed boats~
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Here is a glimpse into the current Koruc project... from the flint tool harvest of materials this winter to a paddle on the closest pond a couple of weeks ago here are three examples of the reed boats I've been taking part in making. They are made of bolts of local phragmite reeds (usually used for thatching) and rope and a lot of teamwork with a little sardinian reed boat building technique (learnt by two of the team) thrown into the mix and with bone awls to be compaired for microscopic traces of wear with mesolithic tools. I have really been enjoying being part of a team with such precise and diverse competences... also the scale you can work on as a group is so satisfying - a nice change from the solitary life of a basketmaker! You can see how our builds evolve over time as we develop new skills and learn to work with the materials we have - which should make the boats more buoyant too. The final boat hasn't been out onto water yet but I can't wait to see how she fares! It's great fun to weave all day and take her for a spin and a paddle at the end...
These pics are nothing compared to what's coming, it's all professionnaly documented, photographed and filmed... so watch that website!
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~archéologie expérimentale des bateaux de gerbes végétales~
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Voici un aperçu du projet Koruc en cours... Depuis la récolte hivernale des matériaux avec des outils en silex jusqu'à une balade en pagaie sur l'étang le plus proche il y a quelques semaines, voici trois exemples des bateaux en gerbes de roseaux auxquels j'ai participé.
Ils sont faits de bottes/gerbes de roseaux locaux (des phragmites, généralement utilisés pour le chaume), de cordes, et d'un gros travail d'équipe, avec en plus une touche de technique de construction de bateaux en roseaux sarde (apprise par deux membres de l'équipe), le tout combiné à l'utilisation de poinçons en os destinés à être étudiés en tracéologie.
C'est un véritable plaisir à faire partie d'une équipe aux compétences aussi précises et variées... et travailler à cette échelle en groupe est tellement gratifiant – un bel antidote à la solitude du travail de vannière! (Suite en commentaire)

~prehistoric boat builders~ . I have the incredib

~prehistoric boat builders~
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I have the incredible privilege of having stumbled into a team of brilliant educators and researchers that have got together to build mesolithic boats. The association is called Koruc (coracle in Breton - the language of Brittany where it's based) and has a great website: www.koruc.org if you'd like to see more of the awsome adventures they've embarked on!
These are photos of the huge projects they've undertaken in the last five years (all rights reserved and belong to Koruc).
Last year they were interviewed on France Culture on the show "La science CQFD" the episode is called "Navigation préhistorique, les vieux Hommes et la mer" and aired on the 18th of June 2024 and it's available to listen to if you'd like a glimpse into this experimental scientific adventure (in french). Also the boats, tools and more are currently on show at the archaeological site of Le Cairn in Vendée, as their summer temporary exhibition is Koruc's. @koruc_org
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~constructeurs de bateaux mésolithiques~
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J'ai la chance incroyable d'avoir rejoint la brilliante équipe de médiateur.ice.s et de chercheur.se.s qui se rassemblement sous le nom de Koruc pour construire des bateaux mésolithiques. Ils ont un site plein de ressources que je vous invite à explorer www.koruc.org si vous voulez découvrir les fabuleuses aventures dans lesquelles ils et elles se sont embarqué.e.s! (Toutes ces photos appartiennent à Koruc, elles sont sur le site où vous trouverez les légendes de chacune et les chaînes opératoires correspondant à chaque embarcation). L'an dernier "La science CQFD" sur France Culture a dédié un episode aux chercheurs investis dans Koruc sous le titre "Navigation préhistorique, les vieux Hommes et la mer" le 18 juin 2024 qui est encore disponible à l'écoute si vous voulez entendre parler du contexte scientifique de ces projets. Cette saison l'exposition temporaire du prehisto'site du Cairn en Vendée est celle de Koruc, vous y verrez les embarcations, les outils et bien plus avec une médiation pour petits et grands! L'expo s'appelle "L'Homme et la mer à la préhistoire"
Vous pouvez aussi suivre l'actualité de Koruc sur insta et fb @koruc_org

~reverse engineering ancient basketry~ . I though

~reverse engineering ancient basketry~
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I thought I'd give you a glimpse of behind the scenes and a little archeological basketry research... it's a true experimental archaeology reverse engineering process. It all starts with what I know of traditional basketry mixed in with observation and the compilation of examples of archaeological basketry that I've been doing for all eras since I started training at Fayl Billot basketry school. With help from photos and descriptions I experiment with the same materials until I get a similar result keeping in mind that I need to restrict access to certain tools for specific eras (such as my beloved Japanese secateurs... only accurate for modern and contemporary pieces, and stick to blades (...picking knife!) for anything I would usually use them for) with that I select techniques that get me closer and closer to the original object as I hone my skills to get the weave right. I really enjoy the experimental process that goes from trying new ways of doing things to see if they work, to testing them, to despairing and starting over, punctuated occasionally by what really feels like breakthroughs. And channeling all of the newly learned lessons and newly acquired techniques into the next try...
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The first video is a compilation of tests I did to get the techniques down for the baskets of antiquity course I taught last week... and my last iteration of the Carlisle roman basket (3rd century ad) it still needs another few attempts to get just right... - for that piece I must thank my hero and fellow archaeological basketry enthusiast @steenhedegaard for being just an email away and always eager to help when I need a description (it came in the form of an article from the danish basketmakers association journal from a few decades ago... and it was all I needed to get unstuck!) and the rest of the slides are examples and the resulting pieces... some of the coiled basketry or inspiration from last week, some of the roman inspired chair I made as my final piece at the basketry school mixing techniques from the Trebes roman hairdresser sculpture and mother goddess figurines featuring woven thrones found around the east of France.

~basketry from antiquity ~ . Last week, I had the

~basketry from antiquity ~
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Last week, I had the honour of teaching an archaeological basketry course for educators and archaeology professionals at the incredible @musee_bibracte site and research centre. It was a dream come true to share my experiments and research with such a specialised and engaged audience.
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The baskets created on the course were first-time attempts for most participants, but also served as tactile explorations of ancient materials, weaves, and techniques—some inspired by artefacts over 1700 years old. It was a joy to contribute to the broader understanding of the craft, skill, and ingenuity behind the surviving examples of ancient basketry.
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Exploring the oppidum site in the sunshine beneath fresh spring leaves, and filling the study room with the scent of freshly stripped willow and the buzz of workshop conversation, made for a truly special experience. I was delighted to see how the activity intrigued other researchers enough to come see what was going on! Enthusiasm is contagious...
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A heartfelt thank you to all at Bibracte for their hospitality and to this gang of gallo-roman basketmakers of course!
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I absolutely loved using amphora fragments to weigh down the willow in the soaking tank. Perfect detail: could no be more on theme.
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~vannerie antique~
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La semaine dernière, j’ai eu le plaisir d’animer un atelier de vannerie archéologique destiné aux mediateurs et chercheurs en archéologie au centre de recherches de @musee_bibracte. Ce fut un plaisir de partager mes expérimentations et mes recherches avec un public aussi spécialisé et enthousiaste.
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Les réalisations pendant le stage étaient à la fois de tout premiers paniers pour la plupart, mais aussi de véritables explorations tactiles de matériaux, de tressages et de techniques attestés par et inspirés d’artefacts vieux de plus de 1700 ans. Quel bonheur de contribuer à la compréhension du savoir-faire, de la créativité et de l’habileté derrière les exemples de vannerie antique qui nous sont parvenus en faisant découvrir ce tout petit aperçu du travail et du soin nécessaire à leur réalisation. (...Suite en commentaire)

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