Eneida Lombe Tavares

Basketweaver

©Eneida Lombe Tavares

Creating a dialogue between cultures

Eneida mixes ceramics with pine needle basketry
She gathers pine needles from the forests around her
She explores her roots through her work

While Eneida Lombe Tavares was developing Raiz (Roots), her final project for her MA in Product Design from Caldas de Rainha, Portugal, she realised that craftsmanship could help her learn more about her Angolan roots, in the context of Europe and specifically Portugal, where she was born and raised. She took workshops in glass, ceramics and woodwork and taught herself to weave baskets, mostly from books and tutorials. In 2015 she opened her own workshop, where she creates pieces that combine tradition and modernity. One of the most beautiful examples of her work is the range of Caruma vases, in which she braids pine needles or raffia on to ceramics.

Interview

©Mariana Lopes

©Ivo Oliveira Rodrigues

Why did you choose this craft?: I have always been interested in materials and the ethnographic and historical side of objects, and I want to develop a dialogue between materials and cultural landscapes. I am particularly interested in basketry techniques, especially the spiral coiling process.
Is what you do linked to where you live?: The city I live in has a long and strong tradition of ceramics production, while the materials I use are deeply connected to the region. For example, the pine needles I weave come from the forests that surround me.
Where do you get inspiration from?: Growing up as an Afropean in Portugal, I am inspired by my roots (Angola and Cape Verde) and by my cultural context. I am also very inspired by natural materials, craftsmanship and cultural dialogues between different experiences.
How do you combine tradition and innovation in your work?: By using traditional materials, crafts and cultural heritage in a contemporary context. It is important to keep researching and learning, and to be surrounded by a rich environment. Making is an intuitive process and the objects you create must provoke questions.

Eneida Lombe Tavares is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2014 and she started teaching in 2020