PATRIZIA SASCOR: A BASKET OF ONE'S OWN
I got into basketry quite late, coming from a background in ceramics, almost by chance. While living in Sicily, 15 years ago, I went to visit a Christmas nativity scene in the mountains. It was a fictional Bethlehem where all the ancient trades were represented. At the end of the village there was a rock cave which accommodated the basketmaker’s workshop. She was a woman of age and was picking up twisted olive rods from a stone floor to weave them in an everyday basket. The whole scene was lit by candles and scented with wax and olive rods. Watching this inspired me to learn weaving. After taking a basket making course, I won a bursary at Cockpit studios and set up my workshop.
I am enchanted by the simplicity of my process, and particularly by the fact that I can make willow baskets using three basic tools: a knife, a bodkin and a cutter, and a tank of water. I can easily work from wherever I find myself.
I am enchanted by the simplicity of my process, and particularly by the fact that I can make willow baskets using three basic tools: a knife, a bodkin and a cutter, and a tank of water. I can easily work from wherever I find myself.
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