It’s impossible not to love these telephone wire baskets, each piece a work of art and a unique piece. Whether in classic black and white or vivid colours, they make a design statement in any home.
Handmade, one by one, by the Zulu people of South Africa, they illustrate the ability of these crafters to apply their ancestral tradition of weaving natural fibres to create a contemporary and modern object using an industrial and practical recycled material, in stunning and graphic shapes and patterns.
The construction of these telephone wire baskets is interesting because, unlike traditional basketry, where you start at the centre and finish at the edges, it is the opposite with these contemporary baskets. You start with the edge, which is reinforced with wire, and finish in the centre. When you look closely at the centre of these baskets, you will not see any trace of this finish. Impressive craftsmanship.
