Craft is crucial to our visceral connection with the land, it provides a practical skill to pass on inherited knowledge about the land to others… We all need to play a part in passing on this knowledge of the land to the next generation. “Hand on what you cherish” Romilly Swann - Wild Service.

I research cultural democracy; the belief that everyone has the right to participate in creating and producing a culture that offers meaning and has equal validation. Cultural democracy relates to connections with others and locality; therefore a genuine emergence of culture needs to be led by those with local knowledge.  This research connects with theories and policies including devolution and cultural commoning, which closely aligns with re-commoning, a movement found in nature conservation.

I am building a body of research focusing on the relationship between craft and culture, specifically basket-making techniques from the British Isles that have an integral connection to plants, land and everyday culture.  This research will take several different forms, from creating work based on traditional crafts; finding myths and folklore linked to place; and case studies exploring how traditional craft practices have been impacted by changes in land management and the knock-on effect this has on people’s everyday cultural practices.

The craft exchange project offers informal exchanges where people share their interests, discoveries, and knowledge of traditional craft practices, and their relation to culture, nature and locality. The project has revealed how crafts, particularly those made from natural fibres, basketry, weaving and knotting, share similar techniques and styles across different cultures and peoples across the globe. Projects are planned in select locations of the British Isles. These will explore how certain crafts relate to native plant species, what indigeneity means to those working in these traditional practices and how modern-day living and land management impact this.