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An installation, by
Lois Walpole, showing a sustainable form of manufacture,
creating willow tables, chairs, baskets and even coat
hangers
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Every day, millions of domestic products are manufactured
all over the world. Many are made from materials like PVC
and polyethylene which derive from fossil fuels, using methods
which pollute the environment. Many are transported half way
around the world before being sold, and almost all will end
up in landfill sites, continuing to pollute, long past their
useful life.
As part of her research for a doctorate at the Royal College
of Art, artist and maker, Lois Walpole, has created a dramatic
and imaginative garden for Go Wild, using willow and found
materials. This intriguing garden is a creative experiment
in growing, harvesting, using and recycling. She fashions
the living wood into an amazing range of items including tables,
chairs, baskets, bowls and coat hangers.
Easily grown, strong, lightweight and biodegradable, willow
has been used for a wide range of products in Europe since
4,000 BC. However, the production of cheap cardboard and plastic
in the 20th century created new cheaper packaging and willow
production fell into decline. Recently, willow has found new
popularity for living fences, arbours, landscaping, riverbank
stabilisation, and even as a fuel for power stations.
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Photographs by Peter Bennett |
Some makers in America have already experimented with growing
willow furniture. Lois Walpole takes this one stage further,
by showing that such products can be grown by anyone with
a small plot, using simple moulds and grafting techniques
to shape the growing plants. Growing, tending and harvesting
the willow artefacts creates a relationship between the grower
and the product. Using only energy from the sun, the artefacts
create a perfect product lifecycle, from planting, harvesting
and use, through to recycling by composting or shredding.
Lois Walpole is well known and respected as a designer and
maker of contemporary crafts. Her trademark is her expressive
use of colour and recycled materials to create beautiful,
sculptural baskets. Since 1984, she has exhibited widely nationally
and internationally, with six one person shows and over 100
group shows. As well as exhibiting, she teaches, and lectures,
and has designed for the Body Shop, Paul Smith and Esprit
de Corps. Her work is in 14 public collections, including
the V&A and the Museum of Scotland.
External Link:
Lois Walpole - www.loiswalpole.com
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