Spain · Basketry; Wickerwork; Canarian heritage
Cestería Canaria — Palma y Junco
The making of baskets and hats from palmito (dwarf fan palm — Chamaerops humilis) and junco (bulrush — Scirpus holoschoenus) in the Canary Islands — a craft tradition maintained by the Guanche indigenous people and subsequently adapted by Spanish settlers. Canarian basketry uses a split-and-braid technique that is distinct from all mainland Spanish basketry: the palm or bulrush leaves are split lengthwise into fine strips, braided into a flat plait, and coiled into the finished object. The canastrera reads the strip quality by the light transmission through the split leaf.
Risk level: Endangered · Not listed; included in Canarian intangible heritage inventory
A contemporary Mallorca-based jewelry practice by industrial designer Alejandra Epifani under the Cartonpia name.
The making of sherry — the fortified wine of Jerez de la Frontera — using the solera aging system, the most sophisticated wine blending and aging method in the world.
The making of the bota de Jerez — the 600-litre American oak barrel that is the standard vessel for sherry aging and the source of the character of Scotch whisky (sherry butts are the primary cask for Scotch maturation).
The making of taracea — geometric marquetry inlay using contrasting woods (and historically bone; mother-of-pearl; and metals) arranged in the interlocking star polygon and arabesques patterns of the Nasrid art tradition.
The making of painted paper and silk fans in Valencia — Spain's primary fan production center, responsible for the majority of Spanish fan export since the 18th century.
The making of flamenco guitars in the Granada tradition — technically distinct from the Madrid classical guitar tradition (CRAFT-1018) in four key ways: cypress wood back and sides (instead of rosewood — lighter; brighter; more…
An extremely fine miniature coiling technique using horsehair rather than plant fiber for the stitching material, developed by Tohono O'odham weavers as an innovation on older willow, yucca, and devil's-claw basketry, producing baskets…
The Lao tip khao (ຕິບເຂົ້າ) is the conical bamboo basket used for steaming and serving sticky rice (khao niao) — the dietary staple of Laos and arguably the single most culturally significant craft object in the country.
Miyako jōfu (宮古上布) is a ramie cloth from Miyakojima and Tarama, woven from hand-spliced yarn so fine that a single warp strand is split to about the width of a hair.
Three-rod coiled basketry using willow foundation rods and black devil's-claw and red yucca-root splints for pattern, producing burden baskets, deep storage ollas, and trays that are among the most technically demanding coiled basketry…
The making of the Strandkorb — the hooded wicker beach chair that is the defining furniture of the North German and Baltic Sea beach culture, invented in 1882 by Rostock basket maker Wilhelm Bartelmann and subsequently spreading to all…
The hand-weaving of a silky fabric interwoven with silver and gold threads in elaborate designs, produced in Damascus and documented as much sought after through the ages, its appeal undiminished in the modern world.