Since
Humanity's beginnings man has used bamboo poles for all kind
of things; hunting and fishing elements, musical instruments,
arts, decoration, food, gardening and all types of utensils.
And perhaps in the future it will be used as a large scale source
of energy and tree wood substitution, being an easily renewable
material. Big projects involving bamboo already exist nowadays.
Since 1985 Mariana and Ángel have worked extending the
applications of this material
to all types of objects.
For this, the study of the native and non native varieties is
indispensable, in combination with the investigation of treatments
and curing that go from centuries old oriental methods to modern
finishes.
For most people, all the canes are the same. 1200 bamboo varieties
exist in the world (this ammount varies according to the authors),
of which only a few are useful for making crafts.
Bamboo is a graminae with a very long flowering period (20 to
150 years). This complicates their identification, since the
flower is indispensable for this. As the seeds are very scarce,
reproduction is usually done by plant division.
From a specialist's point of view, different bamboo varieties
offer us a broad range of characteristics, varying in resistance,
durability, flexibility, etc. The age, harvesting time and treatment
also have a decisive influence on the material.
The varieties used for our crafts are mainly exotic, introduced
into Argentina from the Far East.
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