This project was inspired by the traditional Hausa “adudu” basket. These are large storage baskets that are hand-crafted with doum palm fibers by traditional Hausa weavers in Kano, Nigeria. The form is a u-shape… wide at the top and tapering down to a slightly narrower base on a two-inch footing… and it is topped with a wide, slightly domed lid. The weave pattern is a tightly woven circular coiling motion over horizontal fibers.
The traditional precedent Hausa basket. AfriMod applied a simplification process, removing extraneous elements from the design (left, center, right).
The project objective is to infuse a modern sensibility to the adudu aesthetic without losing the core essence of its roots.
AfriMod team played with the scale and contour of the adudu basket to evolve a more rounded configuration. The resulting design and construction focused on infusing a spirit of minimalist modernity to the basket while retaining the essence of traditional Hausa aesthetics.
AfriMod redesign features a reconfigured contour and shape… the basket footing is eliminated and its contour is rounded to mimic an orange in one instance and an apple in another.
Staying connected to its origin, the resulting products, “AfriMod Naturals,” were hand-woven by traditional Hausa artisans in Kano, Nigeria.
