{"id":2042791,"date":"2026-07-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2042791"},"modified":"2026-07-14T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T21:00:00","slug":"absurdist-basketmaker-lewis-prosser-weaves-contemporary-visions-of-regional-heritage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2042791","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Absurdist Basketmaker\u2019 Lewis Prosser Weaves Contemporary Visions of Regional Heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1917\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-2-e1784033531178.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a documentary photo of a performance featuring people wearing masks and abstract costumes made from woven baskets\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photos by David Sinden unless noted. All images courtesy of Lewis Prosser, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">\u2018Absurdist Basketmaker\u2019 Lewis Prosser Weaves Contemporary Visions of Regional Heritage<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-07-14T09:27:32-05:00\">July 14, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><a class=\"category-craft\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/craft\/\" rel=\"tag\">Craft<\/a><a class=\"category-history\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/history\/\" rel=\"tag\">History<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F07%2Flewis-prosser-baskets-costumes-folklore-performance%2F&amp;title=%26%238216%3BAbsurdist%20Basketmaker%27%20Lewis%20Prosser%20Weaves%20Contemporary%20Visions%20of%20Regional%20Heritage\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"475837\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>During the medieval and Renaissance periods, baskets were everyday essentials\u2014no plastic bags at the supermarket or even reusable totes. They were also used for all sorts of activities, from handled varieties for produce at the market to decorative vessels holding sewing materials to large versions that could be worn like rucksacks. For Cardiff-based artist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lewisprosser.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lewis Prosser<\/a>, a self-described \u201cabsurdist basketmaker,\u201d folklore, regional identity, and cultural heritage center a multidisciplinary practice.<\/p>\n<p>Through sculptural baskets that can be worn as costumes or displayed like venerable sculptures, Prosser taps into storytelling, masking traditions, and public ceremony and celebration. Welsh communities still celebrate <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mari_Lwyd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mari Lwyd<\/a> during the Christmas period, a festivity that may have emerged with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/articles\/celts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Celts<\/a>. A small group of men bedecked in ribbons and rosettes parade around town, leading a figure wearing an eerie horse skull. Another ceremonial festival, <a href=\"https:\/\/earl-of-rone.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Hunting of the Earl of Rone<\/a>, takes place annually in the village of Combe Martin, North Devon, and although updated over the centuries, is also thought to have originated in pre-Christian times.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475837\" title=\"\u2018Making Merrie.\u2019 Photo by Kristen McTernan\" data-rl_title=\"\u2018Making Merrie.\u2019 Photo by Kristen McTernan\" data-rl_caption=\"\u2018Making Merrie.\u2019 Photo by Kristen McTernan\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-5.jpg\" alt=\"a documentary photo of a performance featuring people wearing masks and abstract costumes made from woven baskets\" class=\"wp-image-475846\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u2018Making Merrie.\u2019 Photo by Kristen McTernan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In projects like <em>Making Merrie, <\/em>Prosser combines music and dance in an ode to English folk performances called mummers\u2019 plays, which were often staged during holidays and typically feature combat between two opposing forces, such as good and evil or winter and spring.<\/p>\n<p>Prosser created the wicker costumes using basketry techniques found in the region of Wales and southwestern England, invoking the craft as \u201can essential human skill we\u2019re at risk of forgetting\u2014a skill that, if lost, means losing part of what it is to be human,\u201d he says in a statement. The costumes are now in the collection of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/folk.preservation.society\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Folk Preservation Society<\/a> in Teignmouth, Devon, which continues to activate them in performances from time to time.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, Prosser is facilitating a collaborative project called <em>The Baskets Between Carnival and Lent. <\/em>Inspired by Pieter Breughel the Elder\u2019s seminal painting \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Fight_Between_Carnival_and_Lent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Fight Between Carnival and Lent<\/a>\u201d (1559), Prosser takes the composition\u2019s 24 woven objects as a starting point, including willow shutters on buildings, a birdcage, and a woven beehive, otherwise known as a skep. Prosser is joining 10 basketmakers from across Europe to recreate all two dozen in the painting, and the finished pieces are slated for a show at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orielmyrddingallery.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oriel Myrddin Gallery<\/a> in Carmarthen, Wales, in spring 2027.<\/p>\n<p>Prosser is also working toward a new performance for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cajadeburgos.com\/bienalburgos\/artistas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Burgos Biennial 2026<\/a> in Burgos, Spain, which kicks off in late September. \u201cFor this project, I will be devising an elaborate new basket-based sport called \u2018hornball\u2019 (<em>cuerno pelota<\/em>): a combination of ritual harvest celebration, competitive ball games, and wearable sculptures,\u201d Prosser tells Colossal. See more on his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/clovisvosser\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-9.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475837\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1428\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-9.jpg\" alt=\"a documentary photo of a performance outdoors featuring people wearing masks and abstract costumes made from woven baskets\" class=\"wp-image-475844\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-4.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475837\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-4.jpg\" alt=\"a documentary photo of a performance featuring a figure wearing an abstract costume made from woven basketry\" class=\"wp-image-475841\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475837\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-1.jpg\" alt=\"a documentary photo of a performance featuring people wearing masks and abstract costumes made from woven baskets\" class=\"wp-image-475838\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475837\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-3.jpg\" alt=\"a documentary photo of a performance featuring a figure wearing an abstract costume made from woven basketry\" class=\"wp-image-475840\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-7.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475837\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-7.jpeg\" alt=\"a documentary photo of a public art performance featuring a mask-like basket sculpture tied with numerous ribbons being rolled around on the pavement by a man as onlookers watch\" class=\"wp-image-475842\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-8.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475837\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/prosser-8.jpg\" alt=\"a documentary photo of a public art performance featuring a mask-like basket sculpture being rolled down the pavement by a group of children\" class=\"wp-image-475843\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget widget_block\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns 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All images courtesy of Lewis Prosser, shared with permission \u2018Absurdist Basketmaker\u2019 Lewis Prosser Weaves Contemporary Visions of Regional Heritage July 14, 2026 ArtCraftHistory Kate Mothes Share Email Bookmark During the medieval and Renaissance periods, baskets were everyday essentials\u2014no plastic bags at the supermarket or even reusable totes. They were [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-2042791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2042791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2042791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2042791\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2042791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2042791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2042791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}