In the world’s new interest in crafts and collectibles two items have come to the fore: baskets and textiles. Ironically, the advance of technology has brought people back to the primary crafts as items of concern and care.
The many different peoples and their divergent lifestyles have given the craft a multitude of unusual and specialized forms. The union of these forms with selected materials to create useful tools has put the users into a unique relationship with their environment. The baskets utilize the natural materials of the environment, as in the case of fish traps and creels, to build the ethic and style of a culture. The true appreciation of a basket as a work of skill and artistry comes with its use. However, a layman can analyze the union of a selected materials with all its inherent characteristics and see that it is unquestionably suited to a particular form and use.
When one looks carefully at the fold basketry of the Philippines, one can always notice the care with which the gauge of the material is scaled to the size of the basket. To too, the finishing details such as the fit of a cover, the insertion of a handle, the use of a natural lock, all evidence the eye of master craftsmen who take pride in their work.
There is a logic to the use of light natural materials in basketry. The form created satisfy the demands of heavy work, repair ability and flexibility. Good baskets don’t just happen, they are carefully planned. It remains for the general public to develop the discerning eye that will appreciate the details of form and construction.
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