Collaborations Summer School

MADE IN Basketry Summer School

The summer school, organized by Passa Ao Futuro at Loulé Criativo in Portugal from 22 July to 3 August 2024, explored traditional Portuguese basket weaving with guidance from master craftspeople and designers. Over 100 applications from 21 countries highlight its appeal and focus on merging tradition with contemporary design.

PT_Summer School_Team photos©Inês Silva Sá_022

About

22 Jul – 3 Aug 2024 | Loulé, Portugal | Passa Ao Futuro

Craftspeople: Isabel Martins, Isidoro Ramos, Olímpia Cabrita, Sonia Mendez, Nuno Henriques

Design mentors: Astrid Suzano, Henrique Ralheta & João Xará

The summer school was organized by Passa Ao Futuro and was made in partnership with Loulé Criativo in Loulé, Portugal. Over the course of two weeks, participants explored five traditional raw materials (bulrush, baracejo, esparto, palm and soft-rush)  and their associated techniques, guided by the expertise of five Portuguese master craftspeople and three design mentors. Participants were chosen from an open call aimed at younger generations of creatives, which received over 100 applications from 21 countries, attesting to the interest and appeal of the intersections between tradition and contemporary design. This program aimed to foster the creation of new, inspired works in crafts.

5 master craftspeople and materials they create in:
Isabel Martins, baracejo / bracejo
Isidoro Ramos, esparto
Olímpia Cabrita, cane and palm
Sonia Mendez, palm
Nuno Henriques (Toino Abel), soft-rush

10 selected participants:
Calvin Middel, Rufus Seagrim, Hana Tavčar, João Barrulas, Lara Selmanović, Tiago Correia, Helena Silva, Laure Julien, Alicia Knight, Sara Cherry

For two weeks, the participants learned from and collaborated with five artisans, each of whom mastered a different raw material and technique. Organized in duos, the students worked with an artisan and together faced the challenge of rethinking the use of traditional basketry techniques and applying them to contemporary utilitarian pieces. Due to the variety of techniques and fibers available, the final products were quite diverse, but they all have one thing in common: they were designed and produced with the sustainability concepts of Cradle to Cradle and Circular Economy in mind. All are made from non-toxic natural materials that biodegrade and, when combined with other components, can be easily separated for recycling, reuse or repair.

HÉLIA

Table & Ceiling lamp
Alicia Knight & Sara Cherry – Students
Sónia Mendez – Palm Artisan
Using the traditional palm weaving technique, typically applied to revolved pieces, this project explores the connection between different forms and the plasticity of this technique. This exploration results in the collection HÉLIA, which includes two lamps: a table lamp and a ceiling lamp. The collection is a fusion of ideas and personalities, reflected in three sides, three perspectives, and three pairs of hands. The geometric and industrial form meets the artisanal, organic, and manual technique, as the lamps synthesize these contrasts.

photos: Inês Silva Sá Passa Ao Futuro

Vazios

Jars
Helena Silva & Laure Julien – Students
Olímpia Cabrita – Palm and Cane Artisan
Jars are one of the timeless centerpieces of a traditional Portuguese kitchen.
This project is a research on the poetic combination of the Portuguese cane and palm weaving with the Japanese bamboo thermoforming technique, offering transparency, flexibility, and lightness to the traditional jar. The partial weaving of each jar evokes the cracks of the reconstituted ancient pottery found in the Islamic Baths Museum of Loulé, while the burned edges of the cane graphically emphasize the form and counterform of the two jars, supporting each other’s balance.

Plet

Desk divider panel
Lara Selmanović & Tiago Correia – Students
Nuno Henriques – Soft-rush Artisan
Plet is a room divider that challenges the technique of traditional soft-rush basketry by giving it a different use. With a playful pop of color running through the woven soft rush panel, filled with the leftovers of the plants for natural acoustic properties, Plet creates a private yet inviting workspace that can grow and adapt to the needs of the space by adding additional modules. The panel is mounted on a wooden frame that provides stability and structure to the woven raw material. The frame has entrances so that hooks can be added, allowing it to be suspended to become a hanging unit.

photos: Inês Silva Sá Passa Ao Futuro

Handline

Tray, bowl and basket
Hana Tavčar & João Barrulas – Students
Isabel Martins – Baracejo Artisan
Handline is a collection of utilitarian products for daily use developed in baracejo, a native plant harvested by hand near the Serra da Malcata, Portugal. The collection uses the traditional technique of coiled basketry and is divided into three typologies; a tray, a bowl and a basket. Handline plays with a colorful cotton yarn that is woven around the handles, creating a dynamic contrast with the natural shade of the bracejo.

photos: Inês Silva Sá Passa Ao Futuro

ISI BRUSHES

Brushes
Calvin Middel & Rufus Seagrim – Students
Isidoro Ramos – Esparto Artisan
A series of friendly household brushes Isi brushes explores the construction of the traditional esparto table brush, playing with proportion and scale. Using the hairs of the brush and the wrap of the braided handle as graphic elements, each brush has character: a grandparent, child, or household pet.

photos: Inês Silva Sá Passa Ao Futuro

The pieces were first presented at the final exhibition at Loulé Criativo in Loulé, Portugal marking the end of the basketry school.

photos: Inês Silva Sá / Passa Ao Futuro

For two weeks, the participants learned from and collaborated with five artisans, each of whom mastered a different raw material and technique. Organized in duos, the students worked with an artisan and together faced the challenge of rethinking the use of traditional basketry techniques and applying them to contemporary utilitarian pieces. Due to the variety of techniques and fibers available, the final products were quite diverse, but they all have one thing in common: they were designed and produced with the sustainability concepts of Cradle to Cradle and Circular Economy in mind. All are made from non-toxic natural materials that biodegrade and, when combined with other components, can be easily separated for recycling, reuse or repair.

photos: Inês Silva Sá / Passa Ao Futuro

Open Call Update

The summer school’s open call for submissions closed on 12 May and has received significant interest from students and recent graduates from all over Europe.

Passa Ao Futuro received 100 valid applications from 21 different countries (PT, ES, DE, GR, IT, HR, FR, CH, UK, RS, SI, BE, LV, AU, AT, SK, DK, CZ, SW, PL & BR), with the majority of applicants coming from Portugal, Germany, France, Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia.

Students and recent graduates of architecture, design, and crafts showed a diverse array of perspectives and skills, promising an exciting summer school and intriguing results. The selected participants will be notified of the selection by the end of May 2024.

  • PT_Junco_Nature Profile_01©Jenna Duffy

    Junco, photo: Jenna Duffy / Passa Ao Futuro

  • PT_Palm_Nature Profile©Pedro Arsenio_02

    Palm, photo: Pedro Arsenio / Passa Ao Futuro

Open Call

Deadline for applications: 12 May 2024

OVERVIEW

This summer school is a funded 2 weeks intensive workshop taking place at Loulé Criativo in Loulé, Portugal. Design, architecture and craft students or recently graduates are invited to explore with five traditional Portuguese basket weaving raw-materials and its techniques to co-create a series of new pieces with five Portuguese master craftspeople guided by two design mentors. The objective is to push the boundaries of what these techniques can be used for in the twenty-first century in a beautiful, intelligent and compelling way. The Summer School will be held in the context of the Made In Platform for Contemporary Crafts & Design EU project and the results will be shown in an exhibition in Loulé Criativo as well as in Lisbon at the end of 2024 in a place to be determined.

WHO CAN APPLY
— Over 18 years old at time of application that are architecture, design or craftsmanship students or young graduates (less than a year since graduation)
— Good knowledge of English
— Be able to attend the whole course
— Live in Europe and be able to travel in Europe

AIM
To bring innovation to basketry craft by uniting a younger generation with basket weavers and design mentors. The structure of the Summer School fosters the development of collaborative creative proposals by taking advantage of the aesthetic as well as functional characteristics of the different raw materials.

MINDSET
It is important to acknowledge that craftspeople are creative collaborators and teachers. They are experts and are involved in the creative process with the participants. This is an opportunity for both participants and craftspeople to dive into an informed collaborative experimentation.
Craftspeople and participants will be guided throughout the summer school by the design team who are also there to guarantee goals of excellence are achieved.

OUTCOMES

Participants have the opportunity to learn from craftspeople and design mentors, practice a collaborative design process and explore a series of techniques that will enrich the development of their practice. Craftspeople and participants will be able to look at their practice from different perspectives and absorb a wide range of inspirations, explorations and new experiences.
The final outcome is a series of completed exhibition quality pieces.

FUNDING
Scholarships will be awarded to successful candidates by Passa Ao Futuro and will cover tuition fee, accommodation and meals of selected participants. Each participant is responsible for their own travel to and from Loulé, Portugal.

To help fund the travel costs, check out this two options: World Crafts Council Europe’s Creative Exchange Residency and EU’s Culture Moves Europe.

IMPORTANT DATES
Open call: 1 Apr – 12 May 2024
Summer School: 22 Jul – 3 Aug 2024
(arrival on 21 Jul + departure on 4 Aug)

Apply now>>

In partnership with:
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Sponsored by:
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