We began exploring rush weaving as part of a development project examining its historic use in the UK, where it was often a collaborative process undertaken by families or entire villages working on a single weave.
In 2022, we were commissioned by DOCA Devizes and Baseline Circus to create a series of costumes for exhibition and performance. The brief required the costumes to incorporate ancient traditional practices and be constructed by multiple groups over a year. Given the communal nature of rush weaving, we embraced this approach to create four otherworldly designs.
Workshop Led Creation
The costumes were inspired by traditional folk garments, such as the Irish Mummers’ outfits, as well as functional attire like the rush coats worn by Portuguese shepherds.
Rush Weaving
Rush weaving, once widely used for making chairs, rugs, and pots, has been in decline since the First World War. Traditionally, larger projects were created collaboratively within villages. By reintroducing this craft in a contemporary context, we aimed to revive its relevance. The workshops we led not only focused on costume creation but also explored the broader practice and its traditional applications.
Large scale temporary architecture
We are now expanding this technique into a series of large-scale, temporary architectural works that will evolve through community collaboration across multiple locations. As the project tours, each community will contribute to its growth, culminating in a continuously expanding large-scale piece with hundreds of contributors. Additionally, the work will incorporate an interactive, solar-powered speaker system integrated throughout the structure, offering opportunities to explore interactive sound elements and foster wider cross-disciplinary collaboration.
