Andrew's Washing Basket

Andrew’s 20-year old cane basket has already undergone repair on two occasions. Seven years ago, the handle broke and Andrew fashioned a coat hanger into a new handle, a few years later he tried rope. The basket has had many uses and holds many memories: a washing basket, a vessel for holding stuffed toys, and as an ad- hoc vehicle for zooming the kids around the house. In recent years it has been relegated to the back of a cupboard.

On receipt of the object, repairer Andrea Bandoni was moved by the traces of time embedded in the object and felt a responsibility to maintain the integrity of the basket. Bandoni repaired it in the ‘gambiarra’ style – a Brazilian name for repairing and adapting things intuitively with whatever is on hand. Blue tubing was interwoven into the cane clearly demarcating the old from the new. Two big blue wheels were added referencing the basket’s function as an object for transporting small children. A small coat hook was affixed to the bottom as a leveller – continuing the original attempt by the owner to repair the basket using a coat hanger. All parts can be disassembled from the basket addressing future repair needs and sustainability concerns.

Design Repairer: Andrea Bandoni

Based in São Paulo, Brazil, Andrea is a designer with a strong focus on contextual studies, sustainability and innovation. She graduated at Design Academy Eindhoven (NL) and since 2011 lives and works in São Paulo. She has had projects exhibited and acquired by museums and galleries in The Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Italy, China and was awarded in Brazil and in the UK. Andrea believes design has to add something relevant to our saturated world, being a creative force for environmental and social change. Her design methods are based on research and experimentation, as observed in ‘The Object Without a Story’ or ‘Objects of The Forest’ – some of her most significant projects. Andrea is also a design teacher and coordinator at IED in São Paulo.

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Andrew’s Washing Basket. Repaired by Andrea Bandoni. Photos by Lee Grant. Image copyright Hotel Hotel.