Movement woven into willow
- Basketweaving is Alison’s second profession
- Natural patterns made by water, wind and wave inspire her
- She uses willow harvested in Kent and Sussex
A studio full of baskets, a work bench with tools by the window, a corner filled with bundles of different types of willow and a large metal tank: that is Alison Dickens’ crafting environment. After working in urban regeneration for years, Alison came across Maggie Smith’s baskets and was enchanted. When she later met a group of basketry students at a Christmas Open Studios, their enthusiasm sparked her interest in learning basketmaking. In January 2019, two years after completing a course on the City Lit Basketry Course, she moved into her current studio at Cockpit Arts in London. Alison specialises in making sculptural forms with the rope coil technique, a time- and material-consuming technique which involves adding a new rod at every stroke and weaving with a bundle of willow.
INTERVIEW
Basketry combines two loves. The first is the love of sculptural form, which for me echoes the high curves and low curves of spare open landscapes. The second is the challenge and physicality of making by hand.
I decide if I am going to start with a round or an oval base and have a rough idea of the shape I am aiming for. I must negotiate with the willow during the making process so the result is always a little different, and sometimes quite different to what I originally had in mind.
Willow regularly sells out from the big growers as soon as it goes on their website. There has been an increase in numbers of basketmakers, but more significantly, in large willow sculptures and sustainably-made willow coffins: the material is suddenly in high demand.
The material preparation. Willow tends to come in bundles of 5kg, which might contain some 500 to 2,500 rods depending on the length, thickness and variety. They need to be sorted, then soaked in water until supple enough to be woven and left to mellow overnight before use.
