Made in South Africa these superb hand crafted telephone wire baskets, woven from copper telephone wire, are a contemporary art form involving incredible levels of skill and colour. Zulu weavers have taken the intricate designs and incredible craftsmanship of their natural fibre baskets, and turned them into brightly-coloured art made from plastic-coated wire. Made in a variety of intricate and unique designs, vibrant colours are a hallmark of this functional art
Telephone wire weaving began with the night watchmen in the mines of South Africa weaving as a creative way of dealing with the boredom . With limited resources at hand the Zulu men finding discarded brightly coloured wire utilized it to decorate objects. Today this craft has developed hugely and a worldwide market now exists for a diverse range of products and designs that are not only commercially desirable, but that are also supplying dignified and fairly paid work for hundreds of weavers throughout South Africa.
