Traditional basket weaving is an age-old craft that transcends cultures across the world, with unique styles arising from areas like Japan, Ethiopia, and particularly, northern Ghana. In the isolated town of Bolgatanga, celebrated as the “city of baskets,” this art form is intricately woven into daily life. Local artisan groups depend on basket weaving not just for safeguarding cultural heritage but also for bolstering local economies by transmitting generational skills.<\/p>\n
In 2019, Spanish designer \u00c1lvaro Catal\u00e1n de Oc\u00f3n traveled to this lively area, acknowledging the exceptional talents of its basket weavers. His partnership with artisans from The Baba Tree Basket Company resulted in a series of modern lamp collections. This project, known as PET Lamp, combines ancient weaving methods with contemporary design, cleverly integrating recycled plastic bottles. This creative strategy not only transforms waste into functional art but also supports local communities by offering them economic possibilities.<\/p>\n
The Gurunsi collection, a recent release from 2023, honors the Gurunsi people of Bolgatanga and their rich cultural background. Inspired by Frafra weaving customs and the unique architectural styles of northern Ghana, these lamps resemble the adobe-and-branch structures of traditional family homes. As per de Oc\u00f3n, the project explores the environment extensively, collaborating closely with artisans and local materials to create a new design vocabulary that highlights the expressive nature of local textiles.<\/p>\n
Every lamp in the collection features an integrated recycled PET bottle at its center, acting as a pathway for electrical wiring and allowing light to create intricate patterns throughout spaces. De Oc\u00f3n points out that the Gurunsi collection introduces a new typology, merging light and shadow in a manner not previously seen in the market. The lamps effectively turn ceilings into canvases through their floating, fabric-like forms.<\/p>\n
Since it began in 2012, PET Lamp has teamed up with artisans globally, assembling eight unique collections that celebrate various cultural heritages. The Gurunsi collection represents the harmony of tradition and sustainability, promoting discussions about environmental awareness and cultural preservation. For further information on the Ghana-inspired collection and others, visit the PET Lamp website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Traditional basket weaving is an age-old craft that transcends cultures across the world, with unique styles arising from areas like Japan, Ethiopia, and particularly, northern Ghana. In the isolated town of Bolgatanga, celebrated as the “city of baskets,” this art form is intricately woven into daily life. Local artisan groups depend on basket weaving not just for safeguarding cultural heritage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":556067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-556066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=556066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/556067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=556066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=556066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winklersart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=556066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}