Plant Explorations: Rituals

As we present our ‘Plant Explorations’ collection, we take a closer look at the work of Cyriaque Ambroise, Lisa Atkin and Takahashi McGil. Each of their intuitive works showcase the beauty of repeated actions, as well as listening to and allowing the plant materials to lead. Their meditative practices are informed by makers who came before them and were deeply enriched after examining the objects in the Economic Botany Collection at Kew Gardens.

Cyriaque Ambroise is a French artist - and professional tree climber - who embraces a simple living philosophy while working between London, Paris and Burgundy. From his open-air studios, he creates unique objects and sculptural pieces, with materials sourced locally. He refuses the use of machines and only works with simple hand tools - their daily use has become a meditative practice over the years.

Cyriaque was drawn to a collection of hand carved Wagatabon trays from Japan, in the Economic Botany Collection. Traditionally crafted by roof shingle makers in Wagatani, a village in the Ishikawa prefecture of Japan. It is said that the trays have been made there since the early 17th century. The craft almost died out after the village was flooded and evacuated in the 1960s save for a small group of woodworkers who have been keeping the tradition alive.

Cyriaque visited one of the master woodworkers while in Japan and learnt the endangered skill of Wagatabon tray making. His own collection of hand-carved trays, in homage to the Wagatabon, illustrate his knowledge and appreciation of the craft and are made from the trees around him at home in London. Foraged in forests and parks, such as East London’s Abney Park, fallen branches and trunks constitute his main material, which he instinctively and rhythmically carves. As a tea lover, Cyriaque has also made a collection of objects dedicated to the Japanese tea ceremony wabi-cha. He painstakingly crafted the entire Nomad Tea Ceremony Collection from one single maple tree. It is accompanied by the Ulmus & Fraxinus table and four Quercus stools, all made with green wood techniques.

Basket maker Lisa Atkin, is based at Cockpit Arts and is a protegé of renowned basket maker, Annemarie O’Sullivan. She lives at the place where Epping Forest meets East London, and forages for materials and inspiration in the woods. Her works are a celebration of the environment she inhabits. Lisa is interested in the evolution of basketry through the history of humanity, using ancient techniques such as whittling, carving, weaving, bending, braiding, twining and coiling to create contemporary works.

A myriad of carrying baskets in the Economic Botany Collection ignited Lisa’s imagination, leading her to produce a collection of baskets intended for fictitious hunter-gatherers. Using the materials from her local woodlands, she listens to the plants and allows them to inform what she makes, the skills she uses, as well as the final form and function of her baskets.

For this collection, Lisa uses Neolithic weaving techniques, known to have been practised by our ancestors for over 7,000 years. As she repeats the same hand movements of previous generations, Lisa feels a deep connection to those who came before her and reflects on our relationship with and reliance on nature.

Based in Devon, the husband and wife team behind Takahashi McGil have created a collection of intricate turned vessels. Kaori Takahashi from Japan and South African born Mark McGilvray combine time-honoured Japanese traditions, honed in Tokyo, with Western techniques. The duo layer these techniques and processes to create complex pieces, all while retaining a feeling of ease and simplicity. Together they plane, chisel, turn, wax and lacquer with great precision and attention to detail.

Takahashi McGil found that many of the items in the Economic Botany Collection that caught their attention were related to vessels holding liquids, with water being one of the most essential. They primarily found inspiration in an Ethiopian wooden milk container, with a rope through two handles. The Musubi Kami Vessels were finished with sabi-urushi, which is a mix of Japanese urushi lacquer combined with ground slate and clay from Kyoto, Japan. The rope was made with the help of expert basket maker Hilary Burns, with whom Takahashi McGil also worked together to make collaborative pieces.

The rope used within the vessels not only relates back to the milk container but also to Japanese ‘Shimenawa’ rope, traditionally made from rice straw or hemp. It can be found all year round, but especially for New Year and celebratory events, shrines and spiritual places. For Kaori, it reminds her of special occasions and the addition of the rope represents a celebration of water.

Takahashi McGil were further inspired by a drinking vessel made from fruit, with unknown origin. When they saw the vessel, they were charmed by its sweet look and were immediately reminded of the Hishaku ladle. The Hishaku ladle can be found in Japanese temples, shrines and tea ceremonies. Takahashi Mcgil made the Kiyome Hachi Vessel with Hishaku Ladle from ash and left it unfinished to showcase its naturally beautiful colour.

The ‘Plant Explorations’ collection is enriched with conversations, seeped with deep wisdom of the early ancestors who crafted before us. These works by Cyriaque Ambroise, Lisa Atkin and Takahashi McGil are emblematic of the time-honoured rituals, not limited to final use, but embedded throughout the entire process of making.

Visit our Mayfair showroom for our ‘Plant Explorations’ exhibition and email for further information.