eye.on.art

Matali Crasset, Sebastian Herkner, Binga Craft Centre and Bulawayo Home Industries, will be presenting new designs from Basket Case II at Ambiente Fair, Frankfurt.

Initiated by the EUNIC Zimbabwe Cluster and curated by Raphael Chikukwa and Christine Eyene, Basket Case II, currently on show at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, brought together the two internationally acclaimed designers and Zimbabwean weaving communities as part of a series of residencies and design workshops held in Zimbabwe in Spring 2014.

Matali Crasset’s workshop took place at Bulawayo Home Industries. The French industrial designer was inspired by the iconic Bulawayo gourd basket and used it as a basis to create both functional and decorative objects and forms that are natural evolutions of the gourd. Pieces from this collaboration include bags, mirror stands, vases, and the Matopos sculptural bowls or trays, weaved out of Zimbabwe natural fibres such as ilala or sisal.

The project developed by German designer Sebastian Herkner and Binga Craft Centre involved combining the weavers’ knowledge and tradition in basket making with his own language by adding new design elements. These included coloured plastic fibers from rice bags added to the baskets to enhance their appeal. Additionally, clay pots seen at Binga Museum gave Herkner the idea to work with a local potter. The group created a collection of original bowls using two techniques that are integral part of Tonga crafts culture: clay pottery and basket making.

Basket Case II was listed by Design Indaba as one of the six weaving projects from across the globe that exemplify the amazing creative potential of combining traditional crafts and contemporary design.

Basket Case II at Ambiente Fair is facilitated by studio Sebastian Herkner in partnership with Ambiente Fair, with support from the EUNIC Zimbabwe Cluster (British Council, Alliance Française and Zimbabwe German Society), funded by the European Union.

Basket Case II at Ambiente Fair
13-17 February 2015

Basket Case II exhibition in the Foyer of hall 11.0
Basket Case II stand (commercial) in hall 10.1, stand A90

For further information visit Messe Frankfurt / Frankfurt Fair
Find out more on Basket Case II