Cristina Fonseca

Basketweaver

©Cristina Fonseca

The indigenous weaver

Cristina was attracted to basketry for its natural beauty
She uses only native fibres found near to the Sintra hills
Her pieces express her way of live and surrounding nature

Nestled between the lush Sintra hills and striking Atlantic Ocean, Cristina Fonseca could not see herself living or working elsewhere. Attracted to basketry in 1984, it quickly became more than a profession but rather a way of life. “I learned mainly by observing other basket makers but also from reading and experimenting." She uses local wood and fibres, some of which she harvests herself. “I create organic, asymmetrical forms without edges or angles." Her work gained visibility through the AgriCultura Lusitana project, as one of the artisans invited by the agency for the development of Schist Villages (ADXTUR), to create objects inspired by Portuguese territorial culture to be shown at Eunique 2015 in Germany and at Lisbon’s Museu de Arte Popular in 2018.

Interview

What attracted you to basketry in the first place?: I have always loved plants even as a child and I later became fascinated by the simplicity of basketry and the way in which we can create long-lasting beautiful objects from raw materials using hardly any tools except our bare hands.
How important is it for you to use local materials?: I am blessed by my surrounding environment. The hills and the ocean are not only sources of inspiration but also rich in terms of the available natural material which I harvest or buy locally such as reed, bulrush, sometimes wicker and chestnut split wood.
What is your most special piece?: The piece SEED made of plaited wood for the AgriCultura Lusitana 2015-2018 project. The seed is at the very origin of agriculture, the source of life and symbol of potential future. I created it to plant a seed intended to revive the ancient basketry craft.
Why do you especially like to create lampshades?: They were the first objects I started to work on. I love to see how the vegetable elements gain dimension and life when they are switched on. It is also a way of applying basketry techniques to make decorative objects that are beautiful but also useful.

Cristina Fonseca is a master artisan: she began her career in 1984 and she started teaching in 1990