by Ruby Taylor | Jun 12, 2019 | All Journal Entries, Wild Basketry
One of the first things you notice about Owen Jones, apart from his friendly, relaxed demeanor, is his hands: huge and work-worn. They’ve definitely seen some years of graft. I’m at his workshop in Cumbria, to make an oak swill. This is a traditional split...
by Ruby Taylor | Nov 26, 2018 | All Journal Entries, Stonehenge / Heritage
A crisp cold November morning and I’m meeting a group of archaeologists at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth for a day of basketmaking. During our discussions and through the making itself, a couple of very interesting revelations happen over the day, which make...
by Ruby Taylor | Sep 1, 2018 | All Journal Entries, Courses, Foraging, Wild Basketry, Wild Pottery
In conversation with No Serial Number Magazine, a publication which explores environmental sustainability through traditional crafts and innovative design. We discuss my practice: my relationship to the landscape where I forage my materials, and about coping with the...
by Ruby Taylor | Apr 4, 2018 | All Journal Entries, Courses, Foraging, Wild Basketry
After a day of making cordage from foraged plant fibres, my grubby fingernails show evidence of all the separating and scraping. Once you’re committed to the steady, repetitive nature of prepping and twining cordage, it’s a deeply satisfying process. So...
by Ruby Taylor | Aug 26, 2017 | All Journal Entries, Foraging, Wakehurst 2017
Space Between is a recently commissioned, site-specific woodland sculpture at Wakehurst, (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew). It’s situated in Pearcelands Wood, their newly-opened ancient woodland. It was commissioned as part of Wakehurst’s Wild Wood Festival,...
by Ruby Taylor | Aug 7, 2017 | All Journal Entries, Foraging, Wild Basketry
For ages I’ve been wanting to make a pack, or back, basket from wood splints. They’re best made in the spring when the sap’s rising, so earlier this year I took a trip to the woods near Bath for a few days to make one. There’s a long tradition...