Tuesday 7th February 2012, 8:00pm

Session 80: Visiting Artist Talk with Róza El Hassan

This session kicked off the 2012 Theory Tuesdays season. Visiting Hungarian artist, Róza El Hassan, presented her “No Corruption, Social Brand Wicker Art” project.

“No Corruption” was conceived as an international brand to produce functional objects based on wicker techniques. The products of the “No Corruption” brand demonstrate the high level and elegance of objects produced by the most discriminated people, if given temporarily, the same opportunities as the middle class.

In Hungary, about 600,000 people belong to the Roma minority. Most of them live in extreme poverty in small villages in eastern and southern Hungary. One of the traditional crafts of the region is a special wicker technique. When El Hassan arrived in the village of Szendrőlád, the elder masters still knew the ancient and unique techniques of wicker and special wood chip braiding, called szilács.

The starting point for El Hassan was in functional design: laptop-bags and camera-bags made of wicker. “No Corruption, Social Brand Wicker Art” brought together freelance artists and designers, scholars and Roma basket weavers to work alongside one another and develop products.

Participants: 13