Woven Basket made of date stems and grapevines, Handmade Basket

A woven basket made of date stems and grapevines (three per basket).

Dimensions: 
Height:       35 cm. / 13.7 in
Diameter:   50 cm. / 19.7 in.
Weight:       2 kg. / 4.4 lb.

Smooth grapevines give this stable basket added strength and a pleasantly delicate texture.

I began working with grapevines as part of my basketry R&D, experimenting with them and examining methods of including them in baskets. Grapevines are special because of their motion and curved shape. That is why I fell in love with them and decided to use them along with the more conventional straight branches. Each type of branch has its own qualities and the resulting baskets differ from one another. Every vine has its own message and form, allowing for infinite combinations, each creating a new shape that is always a surprise. Weaving with grapevines never fails to leave me astounded and entertained.

Internal curvature embodies a change of direction from one reality to another. These realities, that exist within each human being, are like shelves of life. I decide which reality I choose to live.

These realities have a fixed path as they move through space; sometimes they approach one another, offering an opportunity to leap from one reality to another. One never knows what the new shelf of life is holding. Its secrets will be revealed only after it is chosen.

 Grapevines “distort” the basket, introducing constant movement and dynamics, as though it were waiting for the next wave to break.