Woven Bench (Tanho)

Bulrush woven bench, bare and beautiful.

Bulrush (bunho) loves water. It grows in humid places, including ponds, swamps, and lakes. Frogs and dragonflies are among its closest neighbours. So, how does it transform into this beautiful, versatile, and stripped-back Woven Bench (tanho), which you can take to live in the desert? Or use it to slow down the pace, for example.

For Helena Novelletto, the young artisan behind this work, it has been a journey towards freedom. She started by learning the craft with Manuel Ferreira, a generous master from Santarém, who wove while recalling the 1974 revolution that ended 48 years of dictatorship in Portugal, telling stories she, born in Brazil, had never heard of.

Freed from industry, the bunho craft demands only raw nature and her disciplined hands - self-sufficiency. We are sure she is one of the last active bunho artisans, but we hope that her dedication can motivate other artists with sustainable convictions.

In the summer, the bulrush is harvested, in its natural habitat, and woven in her workshop in Caldas da Rainha (Estremadura, Portugal), a task that requires all the strength of her arms. Yes, freedom demands hard work.