Weaving and Water

Gila Wilderness

By Nancy Collins

15th October 2019

 

We started our week in the Gila Wilderness by meeting with Orion a local craftsman. The Gila is his backyard, so he was the perfect person to introduce us to the incredible landscape. His tools and objects are made with materials found in the Gila.

 

During our walk we harvested some yucca, which Orion then showed us how to make into baskets. What started off as quite a frustrating activity quickly turned into something very therapeutic and satisfying. Learning to work with the yucca and seeing it transform into a basket was extremely rewarding.

I wanted to experiment with the techniques Orion had taught us. I used grasses found by the river to create this tepee shape.  It was interesting to work with different materials; I found that the grass was more delicate which made it easier to weave but harder to keep the structure. The grass also became very fragile when it had dried and it was much lighter. I enjoyed using the basket techniques to create a more sculptural piece and it opened up my mind to how I can adapt methods to create different forms.

 

I began to experiment with my baskets in water; looking at the interaction between the weaving and the water. Where the water would run though the basket patterns where created and it was interesting to observe how the flow of the water was effected by the weave. I also looked at the movement of the basket as it floated down river. The most interesting moments were when the basket was spinning due to the current and the images of it underwater.

  My next project was to create a weave in the water. I used sticks wedged between rocks to support the yucca structure. The process of this piece was really interesting, it felt like I was collaborating with the rocks and water to create this work. There was also something really nice about being in the water as I wove. Again as the water ran through the gaps different bubbles and splashes were created. The bright green of the yucca contrasted amazingly with the rocks and the reflection of the weave underwater was really beautiful.

I then moved onto weaving in the water using just the rocks. This turned into a much looser more sculptural piece.  I am most interested in where water meets the edges of things, whether natural or unnatural. So for this piece I really focused on filming the interactions between yucca and water. I was observing how the water behaved and how my interfering with its normal flow effected its course.

 

These projects were about me taking a traditional technique and seeing how I could then use this to further explore shape, materials and form. I was taking aspects of previous projects, like the patterns of water, and combining them with new skills and ideas. It helped push my ideas forward while learning about a new material.