toisan
17th December 2002, 09:54 PM
I returned from a workshop sponsored by INBAR and other Chinese government agencies held on the island of Hainan. The bamboo we encountered were mostly B. chungii, B. textilis and P. amabilis. None of these bamboo have the large diameters that we in the West seem to be enamored to. However these bamboos exhibit excellent qualities for matmaking and weaving. Bamboo slivers were produced so thin that they were transparent, and this was done with a simple knife. Can you imagine the potential of a mat this thin with the inherent strength of bamboo fibers?
We were exposed to township enterprises that existed from exploting the natural resource present in their village. It was amazing to see what these people can produce from bamboo with a minimun of handtools.
I will be presenting some images of these products. Check out toisan gallery.
It would be great if we can invite some of the master craftmen to visit us to demonstrate and teach us how we also can make better use of this valuable resource that we are so ignorant of.
We were exposed to township enterprises that existed from exploting the natural resource present in their village. It was amazing to see what these people can produce from bamboo with a minimun of handtools.
I will be presenting some images of these products. Check out toisan gallery.
It would be great if we can invite some of the master craftmen to visit us to demonstrate and teach us how we also can make better use of this valuable resource that we are so ignorant of.