An investigation into the use of traditional woven grass bangle techniques to design and develop contemporary jewellery

Abstract

This research project focuses on the documentation of traditional knowledge in order to contribute to preservation of traditional South African craft skills. The aim of the project is to research and record weaving skills used for making traditional grass bangles, the objective being to contribute to archiving skills that are under threat of becoming obsolete. The project includes videos of specific weaving techniques, and a video that demonstrates my application of weaving to produce jewellery, which can be accessed via Quick Response Codes (QR) supplied in the document. I concentrate on a selection of weaving techniques that are suitable for application in making jewellery. As a qualified goldsmith and jewellery designer, my aim is to use indigenous craft skills in my practice to contribute to a South African design identity. The significance of this study, which focuses on grass bangle weaving techniques practiced by weavers of the Mdukatshani rural project in Msinga KwaZulu-Natal, lies in its contribution to existing archives that are incomplete.