FIBRANZAS. LEARNING FROM TRADITION. WORKSHOP ON CRAFTS AND PLANT FIBRE TECHNIQUES

The training begins more than a month before the face-to-face session. As the web of registrations takes shape, planning for the planting gets underway. The process begins with pruning, including that of the crop belonging to Rubén Berto, a great basket-maker from Vigo who passed away two years ago. A leaden sky welcomes us and shelters us during the morning’s work. It is a moving day, even for those of us who never knew him. We are filled with a mixture of feelings: enthusiasm, satisfaction and a sense of sadness as we reflect on his wickerwork and his art. Germán honours us by suggesting that his son’s materials form part of this training programme. And with this legacy, Fibranzas begins.

With all this variety of wickerwork around us, the organisational preparations begin: buying tools, setting up the rooms and spaces, sorting and tending to the condition of the rods, making first contact with the participants… At last, some of them start arriving from the night before. They bring excitement, curiosity and, above all, great joy at having been selected. Choosing some and not others has been a difficult task. A little shy, they are gradually settling in, finding their place and their rhythm. Everything is new. The journey here, the village, the place itself, its inhabitants and buildings, the people who will be their companions throughout the year, the atmosphere…

It is a living, organic course. Nature guides and governs us right from the very first meeting. If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. This is a saying deeply embedded in the philosophy of Os Casares, and it applies right from the start: the planting for the second meeting has to be changed due to the waterlogged ground. That is how we begin. Adapting to change. Just like life itself.

After a gentle arrival sweetened by coffee, Lola Fernández, founder of Os Casares, takes the participants on a tour to get to know the place that welcomes them, but also the project and the values that inspired her to create it. Miriam Pérez, director of the Galería Vilaseco, then presents the Espacio Vilaseco, as a laboratory of the Galería Vilaseco in A Coruña. These two projects, working hand in hand, support and sponsor the Fibranzas training programme in collaboration with Artesanía de Galicia. Walking through the grove and the vegetable garden, getting to know the buildings and the surrounding fields, provides the nourishment these new seeds need to feel at home and let their creativity blossom.

It is at Espacio Vilaseco that Elena Fabeiro, manager of Artesanía de Galicia, together with Gabriel Alén, Director General of Trade and Consumer Affairs, are launching the annual training course “Fibranzas: Laboratory of Plant Fibres”. It forms part of the “Learning from Tradition: Trades and Techniques” workshops and is funded and promoted by the Artesanía de Galicia Public Foundation.

Right at the start, we sit down to share our first impressions of who we are and what our role is in the training, so that we know who’s who. We begin somewhat timidly, and little by little, amid laughter, the atmosphere relaxes. Idoia Cuesta introduces the module as the creator and coordinator of the training. She does so by introducing Marcos Besada, an agricultural engineer from the A Estruga Association, hired to provide technical advice on the Os Casares wicker plantation. Marcos Besada is taking part as a trainer and explains the more technical aspects of wicker planting.

This module is an introduction to agroecological cultivation techniques for basket-making species, specifically wicker. Marcos talks to us about the soil as a living organism, from an ecological and environmentally respectful perspective, and therefore about growing willow free from chemicals and herbicides, using organic fertilisation. He tells us, “You have to give the willow what it needs so that its growth is balanced and productive; always respecting the soil.” The key to profitability is fertility: the balance between minerals, air and water, microorganisms, living organisms and organic matter. He goes on to discuss soil properties, the importance of pH and the tendency of Galician soils towards acidity; how to improve them through various organic or mineral inputs, and the most beneficial types of tools and tillage methods. He provides a clear, structured summary of the soil’s requirements for crops in general, and for vimbia in particular.

After lunch, as the first conversations begin to take shape, the day opens up to glorious sunshine as we make our way to the site of the future plantation. Because the preparation of the land had to be postponed due to excessive water, the participants will be able to see it untouched, in its natural state. Marcos begins by explaining the changes in the terrain’s contours, and goes on to provide guidance on the cultivation of Salix and its characteristics. To conclude, he focuses on putting all the theory explained during the morning into practice, concentrating specifically on the steps to be taken between this module and the next, to balance and fertilise the land for wicker cultivation.

We say goodbye to Marcos and Amanda. The rest of the afternoon is spent on a practical application of cutting the rods, selecting them by height, and tying them into bundles, with an introduction to identifying the different species. To make them easier to recognise, the organising team has assigned a colour to each species. The bundles are tied with a cord in the colour identifying the plant, and the corresponding cuttings are sorted into buckets of the same colour. In this colourful and orderly setting, we round off the day with a look at the tools of the wicker-making trade, their uses, purchase, origin and useful information.

A partly sunny day dawns, brightening up as the morning progresses. Idoia opens the day with a general explanation of wicker cultivation and its mechanisation. Using a visual presentation, she takes us through the process from planting and pruning to the preparation of cuttings and the cutting of the rods. She covers the steps required for the preservation of wicker, from soaking and peeling to how it should be dried and even bleached. This is a comprehensive, structured and complete introduction that gives attendees a general overview of the cultivation, storage and preservation of wicker. This framework highlights the unique aspect of this training, which places importance on the entire process from the plant’s growth to its use as a fibre material.

As the morning draws to a close, the whole group heads to the vegetable garden to learn how to prune a hedge and begin to recognise the different species planted. It is the group’s first team activity, characterised by an atmosphere of enthusiasm, openness, and immense curiosity about all the information they are receiving. Over the course of two days, there has been extensive participation, comments, queries, and question after question. As they leave, everyone feels a sense of satisfaction, a touch of tiredness and a great deal of gratitude.