Ancient Craft: esparto
Stipa tenacissima, this more-than-human form of being, commonly called Esparto Grass, is an endogenous Portuguese plant species that grows wild in the dry and sandy soils of the Algarves' Barrocal region.
Already the Romans used this plant fibre to craft water bottles with its thread and in Portugal – before the advent of synthetic materials such as plastic – it was used for the production of ship ropes, fishing nets and transport baskets. During the time of colonial expansion, when ship ropes were most essential and valuable tools, Esparto exceeded the value of silk in terms of its trade value.
The blades can be collected from July to September by pulling them out in small bunches wrapped around a wooden stick. According to the few local artisans that still collect, interact and craft artefacts with Esparto, the plants’ root is not harmed during the foraging process and the plant will grow even stronger in the following year.
Traditionally, the blade’s texture is opened up in a 21-day-long water-based fermentation process and beaten it up with a wooden hammer afterwards. This way, the plant becomes an extremely durable and water-resistant fibre.
Esparto can also be used in its raw form to make the traditional 'Empreita' weaving that is mainly used for making baskets & sculptures of animal heads. The number of 'Ramais' (strings) can vary from 5, 7, 9 to 21 or more, as long as it is an impair amount.
As a new artisan and apprentice of this ancient craft, I consider myself more than lucky to have learned (and do thrive to learn more) from the last Esparto Masters of the interior Algarve Region.
I aim to innovate this craft by intertwining its ancient techniques with my artistic methodologies of design thinking, upcycling and multi-species ethnography.
