One of the first things that Jonathon Carrie of Norfolk Hedge Baskets says when we arrived for our final studio visit of the project is ‘basketmaking is a multi limbed craft’. Immediately intriguing we were able over the course of a couple of hours see this statement demonstrated. The making of a basket involves a variety of different postures, stages, skills and tools.
The workshop is a garage, light comes from both a florescent light which works intermittently and from the natural light from the open garage door. Having the door open also means being open to outside temperatures. It was about 9°c when we visited, Jonathon says he can work in temperatures as low as 4°c, any colder and the willow gets too cold to work. He talked about his workspace never feeling big enough and spending time re-arranging to make the best use of the space. In the summer he will work outside more, in February when we make our visit it’s a cold dank day with a heavy misting of rain.
The making of the basket bases happens outside, seemingly regardless of the weather, the length of the withies being used makes this by far the best option. When Jonathon demonstrates this part of the making process and we take photographs it is hard to understand how his hands are actually working. It’s Val who asks which hand is exerting most of the force, the reply that it is the left is a surprise. The right hand guides the willow, the left had pushing, manipulating, securing the weave as it progresses. When asked about any pain and discomfort it is the thumb cushion on the left hand which highlights its overuse through aching for a while after intensive working. This is where the Opponens Pollicis muscle comes into play, rotating the thumb into opposition with the fingers, together with the rest of the Thenar Eminence muscle group in this area of the hand it supports the opposable thumb to fingers movements (1). The aching is short lived and in fact all the pain or discomfort described was temporary in nature.
The speed of working is incredibly fast, the hands look very dexterous and although there is clear attention to the construction pattern this process doesn’t include close work. To make one kind of base involves kneeling on the board, using one foot to clamp the work in progress whilst kneeling with the other leg. It looks quite uncomfortable but when asked Jonathon says its not. This can be true for many making processes, postures may look demanding on the body but it doesn’t always follow that they are, the body can be an incredibly adaptable and tolerant entity. The second kind of basket base involves standing up using the weight of the body to again anchor the work so the weaving can be carried out in the initial stages before going into the kneeling posture one again.
Moving into the garage, the rest of the basket is made on the bench. Some people sit on the floor to make a basket, as Jonathon did when he was first learning. Using the bench is about convenience, everything is to hand, the work bench holds tools to the right hand side, willow laid on the floor to the left. This simple layout makes a positive contribution to efficiency and productivity. Workplace set-up is important component of ergonomics, how easily tools are to hand, where raw materials are, the types and frequency of movements between tasks.
When observing the bench posture, the back is held well, there is no slouching or rounded shoulders to be seen. Again the movements are quick and dexterous, there is an unconscious competency at work here, the hands instinctively know what is required. In Richard Sennett book The Craftsman, he writes of “craftsmanship being founded on skill developed to a high degree and one commonly used measure if that of the ten thousand hours of experience required to produce a master” (2). It might be an automatic response to consider these hours being manual in their nature but of course they can be conceptual also. The combination of hand and conceptual skill creates a mastery of process, material and method of working, from this innovation can flourish. At the very outset of Sennett’s book is a short phrase “making is thinking” (3). It is too easy to consider making as a purely physical activity for as the hands work, the mind works also.
I wondered if Jonathon used batch production processes, for example making lots of basket bases to then work up but generally he starts a basket and completes it in one go. The length the construction process varies depending on the size and type of work being made but what striking is the ability to complete an object in a single work shift and by the end of the week have sold it to a customer. Jonathon described the rhythm of his week, with particular days having a clearly defined tasks; making, selling, running courses, business administration. Each day or section of a day has a clear purpose and with his attention to planning and preparation, there are markers which indicate correlations with the components of job satisfaction; skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback (4). We witnessed four out of five of these components with Jonathon describing how he sells work direct via stalls and at events, so interaction with customers generates feedback. Out of all the people we have interviewed, visited and talked to over the course of the project this is the shortest work cycle, from raw material to object being made to then being sold.
During our visit we observed a making process which demonstrated knowledge in action, skills which were fluid and fluent and a work set up which contributes to productivity and efficiency. We also observed how basket making is indeed a multi limbed craft; a basket will never look the same again.
Our thanks to Jonathon for hosting our visit please visit his website for details of baskets for sale and details of courses.
1. R.J. Stone & J.A. Stone Atlas of Skeletal Muscles McGraw-Hill International Edition, 2012 p.154
2. Richard Sennett The Craftsman Allen Lane, London, 2008, p. 58
3. ibid page unnumbered (Acknowledgements)
4. Job Satisfaction. Hackman & Oldham (1980) cited in https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/PSYCH484/11.+Job+Satisfaction The Pennsylvania State University, Accessed 22 February 2017
