The craft of Willow Wicker is relatively new as compared with the other crafts of Jammu and Kashmir, like Carpets, Embroidery, Papier Mache and Copper work.
Presently the craft is mainly concentrated in the area of Srinagar city, in nearby Gandherbal and in Anantnag
The unique property of this material is that it is a very good food grade material since no fungus attack happens on this and it can withstand good heat and work like an insulator.
The existing product range comprises of kangri, picnic baskets, fruit baskets, bread baskets, lamp shades, duck shaped fruit basket, a few furniture products like chairs, sofas, tables etc.
Challenges
The primary reason for Willow wicker products to look tacky and ‘crafty’ was due to the structural limitation of willow wicker and inability to achieve precision, neatness and proper geometry.
To redefine the presence of willow wicker products beyond primarily basketry and some furniture
To redefine the perceived crafty feel of willow wicker products to a contemporary well finished
Products Developed
We explored lamps – especially standing lamps, also involving geometric proportions of the square, pentagon, hexagon and octagon as that has not been explored in willow wicker.
We explored new products like Dry fruit containers and trivets using willow wicker as the material is natural, food grade and does not degrade with humidity or fungus easily.
