Handmade Interlaces: the “Straw” [Rejilla] Technique in Furniture

Abstract

The stackers are the artisans who execute the Indian straw stuffing technique on furniture. In the municipality of Gondomar, this profession was performed by women and adolescent girls in a domestic and familiar context. Despite the profuse implementation of this technique in furniture from the 17th to the 20th centuries, and its extensive development in Gondomar in the past century, artisanal stuffing tends to be currently passed over in favor of more industrialized processes. For this reason, this art lacks in-depth studies on its execution, morphology and knowledge. With this study we intend to share an artisanal practice that is at risk of getting lost in this municipality on the outskirts of Porto (Portugal), making known to younger generations a craft that once involved a lot of labor and bringing together Gondomarenses and the general public of industrial heritage related to the production to furniture.