Lorna Singleton

Weaving Walk

Lorna is one of the four recipients of the ‘My Artful Way’ commission.

“I spent three days walking, roughly, the edges of the valley I live in, stopping each day to weave a part of that landscape into a basket. I wanted to walk the area I’d been restricted to during lockdowns, paying homage to wonderful woodlands, the cultural heritage here, and the baskets that are my creative outlet. Whilst walking I was weaving myself back together, remembering parts of my identity after a tricky year.

I walked alone and with friends, I slept in my tent and in a willow studio. I surprised myself by weaving with different materials. And I loved having time for ‘planned nothingness with a focus’, walking with no firm plans of the route, not knowing where each day would finish, who I would meet or what I would do, but letting the three questions of the project work away in my mind and shape my experience.

  • A tiny basket made from fresh rushes picked in the woods in south Cumbria, by Lorna Singleton. This tiny basket is dark green with a line of light green running through it, and is set on top of a mossy stone wall.
  • green rushes partly woven to make a basket that is small enough to fit in a hand.
  • A hand-sized basket woven with freshly picked rushes: the basket is green and there are some of the grass flower heads poking out. The basket is being held in the outstretched hand of Lorna Singleton, and the blurred background of grass and trees suggests she is in a field.
  • A single hand holding about thirty tiny red wild strawberries. The blurred background suggests ivy growing on a tree, or on the ground.
  • A knife, with red handle, folded in so the blade is not visible; a leather pouch with 2 wooden handled tools in; some curls of stripped hazel; and binding tape; all resting on a moss-covered rock. These are the tools used by Lorna Singleton, weaver and basket maker.

My inspiration starts from a need to work in the woods and to maintain the unique habitat and biodiversity that has evolved alongside coppicing traditions. Watching the coppice change through the seasons and from year to year is a delight, as flowers emerge into the light that have been patiently waiting in the seed bank for a generation, and then trees grow to fill the canopy and overshadow the flowers until an unknown time when they can emerge again.

For more about Lorna’s walk, the thinking behind her journey, and the work of weaving while strolling, visit the Weaving Walk page here.

And to find out more about Lorna’s work, visit her website here: www.lornasingleton.co.uk.