Discover the ample audiovisual archive of our ethnographic field research – a raw record of genuine craftmaking. If you’re planning an exhibition or another project and you need video documentation of crafts, you can buy it here.
What is in our archive?
In 2009–2021, we went on a number of research expeditions to carry out fieldwork on Polish basketry. We have plenty of raw recordings of all the unique Polish basketmaking techniques. Some of these techniques are no longer continued by the basket makers that we managed to record.
In our video documentation, we captured the beautiful moments of handweaving by basketry masters who had been practising this skill all their lives. You can see how baskets and other objects made of natural materials are woven by means of unusual techniques. We registered the work of people who had received their impressive knowledge from past generations but have no successors to pass their skills on. Take a look at the sample shots of making an oakwood basket – a real rarity on a global scale.
We offer videos presenting basketmaking with plant-based materials, including straw, bulrush (cattail), wood strips, wood roots, and various types of willow. The videos are recordings of regional terminology, weaving techniques, and a variety of special tools which are often made by the basket makers themselves.
Our archive includes films that show methods of weaving specific products and basket types as well as conversations with Polish masters of basketry. There are also audio recordings of the interviews that we conducted with people speaking local dialects of Polish.
Recorded places
We will be happy to search through our rich archive to find something suited perfectly to your needs. If you are interested in more than films, there are also numerous photographs of our expeditions into the wild in search of crafts.
We mapped nearly all the regions of Poland in terms of basketry. We went to all the places where we could discover an exceptional artisan, a unique technique, or an extraordinary material. If you wish to find out more about our Polish expeditions, you can read about them in our book Baskets.
But there is more than Poland! We also have audiovisual footage from Norway, Western Ukraine, Zaolzie, and German Lusatia.
See the video resources that we used for making a film about Polish and Norwegian basketry.
Access to the Audiovisual Archive
Audiovisual resources – price per 1 minute: PLN 100 / EUR 22
If you buy audiovisual resources from us, you will receive a non-exclusive licence for 1 year. If you’re interested in longer licensing, let us know and we’ll prepare an individual offer for you.
The AV resources you buy from us are raw and you can edit them in any way you want – you only have to identify Serfenta as their author. If you need unique craft photos, contact us too.
Our clients who have already bought our audiovisual resources: Museum Europäischer Kulturen w Berlinie, Muzeum Podlasia Południowego Biała Podlaska.
Visit us in our office in Cieszyn at Srebrna 1! We’ll show you the backstage of our work, have coffee together, and answer all your questions. If you’d like to drop by here in a group for a studio visit, a workshop, or a Craft Tour – write us a message!
If you want to order some different workshops – do not hesitate to call or write.
Paulina Adamska will answer all your questions:
tel: +48 517 152 687
How to make a basket 
