MADE IN Summer School
Creative duos face the challenge of rethinking traditional techniques
This summer school dedicated to the theme “Design with Vegetable Fibers”, was organized by Passa ao Futuro in partnership with Loulé Criativo within the scope of the European project Made In – Platform for Contemporary Arts & Crafts and Design.
Through an open-call, ten students (Portuguese and foreign) were selected who, for two weeks, learned and collaborated with five artisans specialized in different techniques and raw materials.
Organized in pairs, the students worked with a craftsman and, together, faced the challenge of rethinking the use of traditional basketry techniques, applying them to contemporary utilitarian pieces. As a result of the variety of techniques and fibers available, the final products were quite diverse, but they all have something in common: they were designed and produced taking into account the concepts of sustainable design: Cradle to Cradle and Circular Economy. They are made with non-toxic natural materials making them biodegradable and when complemented with other components, they can be easily separated to be recycled, reused or repaired.
The Process
Exhibition
HELIA
Table and ceiling lamp
Alicia Knight & Sara Cherry - Students
& Sónia Mendez - Artisan Palma
Crafts are, by their very nature, closely tied to the local area. Places shape people and influence their practices. The village of Sarnadas was once a major center for esparto grass production. Recently, the seventh Loulé Criativo workshop was set up there, and this dormant tradition was revived with great vigor. This piece represents the valley where this village grew and the hills that surround it. The Geographic Information Systems Division of the Municipality of Loulé provided us with an application for accessing the municipality’s elevation data. Using the topography of the Sarnadas area, we were able to handcraft the relief of that place and discover ways to utilize it.
VOIDS
Jugs
Helena Silva & Laure Julien - Students
& Olímpia Cabrita - Artisan Palma e Cana
The jug is a timeless piece of traditional Portuguese kitchenware.
This project explores the poetics of weaving Algarve palm fronds and cane, combined with the Japanese technique of bamboo thermoforming, resulting in transparency, flexibility, and lightness. The partial palm-weave construction of each jug references the cracks in an ancient reconstructed ceramic piece found at the Islamic Baths of Loulé, while the charred edges of the cane graphically emphasize the form and counterform of the two jugs, which support one another in balance.
PLET
Desk divider panel
Lara Selmanović & Tiago Correia - Students
& Nuno Henriques - Artisan Junco
Plet is a room divider that reimagines traditional reed basketry, giving it a new purpose. With a playful touch provided by the use of color throughout the reed panel, it is filled with plant waste, thereby enhancing its acoustic properties. Plet allows you to create a private yet inviting workspace. This system can grow and adapt to the needs of the space by adding modules. The panel, mounted on a wooden frame, ensures stability. This frame has built-in slots for adding hooks, allowing the module to be suspended.
HANDLINE
Tray, bowl and basket
Hana Tavčar & João Barrulas - Students
& Isabel Martins - Baracejo Artisan
Handline is a collection of everyday utility items made from baracejo, a plant native to the Serra da Malcata in Portugal, where it is harvested by hand. The collection uses the traditional technique of spiral-stitched basketry and is divided into three types: a tray, a bowl, and a basket. Handline features a dynamic contrast between the color of the cotton thread wrapping the handles and the natural hue of the baracejo.
ISI BRUSHES
Brooms
Calvin Middel & Rufus Seagrim - Students
& Isidoro Ramos - Esparto Artisan
Isi brushes are a series of household brushes that draw inspiration from the traditional esparto table brush and play with proportion and scale. By using the bristles and the braided handle as graphic elements, each brush takes on a character of its own: a grandfather, a child, or a pet.
Dates
July and August 2024
Location
Loulé – Gama Lobo Palace
Participants
Students
Alicia Knight & Sara Cherry
Helena Silva & Laure Julien
Lara Selmanović & Tiago Correia
Hana Tavčar & João Barrulas
Calvin Middel & Rufus Seagrim
Artisans
Sónia Mendez – Artisan Palma
Olímpia Cabrita – Artisan Palm and Cane
Nuno Henriques – Artisan Junco
Isabel Martins – Baracejo Artisan
Isidoro Ramos – Esparto Artisan
Organization
Future Pass
Under the MADE in Platform for Crafts and Contemporary Design with co-funding from the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
Support
De La Espada
Company of Cultures
Spur
Partnership
Loulé Criativo | Loulé City Council
Photographs & Video
Move on to the Future
©Inês Silva Sá