An invitation Β· 2026 Cohort
The lost art of underwater basketweaving, taught by its last masters.
A six-month private apprenticeship for nine practitioners. Conducted twelve meters below the surface, in waters most people will never see.
Nine seats Β· $18,000 Β· Begins 14 March 2026
The promise
Six months from now, your hands will know something almost no one else's do.
You will weave with kelp, sea silk, and abalone fiber β at depth, in current, in silence. You will leave with three finished works, a documented practice, and a circle of eight peers who will remain your collaborators for life.
Lineage
Taught by the eleventh-generation keeper of the practice.
Master Iliyana inherited the loom from her grandmother in 1997, on the morning of a perfect equinox tide. She has trained forty-one apprentices in twenty-eight years. Three of them now teach. The rest have quietly built lifetimes around the work.
Six months Β· Twelve modules
A curriculum the surface world has never seen.
Each module is taught in two parts: a dry-land lecture aboard the vessel, then a guided immersion of three to four hours.
The Loom Beneath
Building your underwater frame from driftwood and brass. The physics of weaving in moving water.
Reading Kelp
Identifying the seven canonical species. Harvest ethics. The full-moon rule.
The First Knot
The Iliyanan hitch β the foundational stitch. Practiced 200 times before depth.
Color from Salt
Natural dyeing using mollusk ink, copper salts, and turmeric resin. A two-week residency.
Forms in Current
Weaving while drifting. Letting the tide author the basket with you.
The Vessel Form
Your first complete piece. Twelve hours over three days. Witnessed and blessed.
Sea Silk
Working with byssus β the rarest fiber on earth. Sourced from a single Sardinian artisan.
Night Weaves
Bioluminescent practice. Working by the light of the work itself.
The Repair Ethos
How to mend a broken weave. A meditation on grace.
Documentation
Photographing your work at depth. Writing the artist statement.
The Final Piece
Your master work. Six weeks of solo practice with weekly check-ins.
Surfacing
Bringing the practice home. Studio design. The rest of your life.
What you receive
Everything required. Nothing decorative.
A handmade brass loom, yours to keep
Hand-forged by Γtienne Marchand in Marseille. Each loom is numbered, tuned to your grip, and engraved with the cohort year. Shipped to your studio in week one.
Six months of structured instruction
Twelve live modules. Two private one-to-ones with Iliyana. Weekly office hours. A peer-reviewed mid-cohort showing in month three.
Three immersion residencies (Croatia, Sardinia, Cornwall)
Travel arranged. Lodging in restored stone houses. All meals prepared by the residency chef. Diving instruction included for those without certification.
All materials, sourced and shipped
Kelp from three coasts. Sea silk from Chiara Vigo's atelier. Mollusk inks. Copper mordants. Replenished monthly so you never wait.
Lifetime access to the alumni library
Every recorded lecture since 2019. The full pattern archive. The private alumni Slack. Annual reunion invitation.
Tuition
Two ways to enroll.
Both options include identical instruction, materials, and residencies.
$17,500
Apprentice
Standard cohort seat. All materials, residencies, and instruction included.
- All twelve modules
- Three residencies
- Loom & all materials
- Lifetime alumni access
Most chosen
$21,000
Master
Includes a private weekend with Iliyana on Hvar at the close of the program.
- Everything in Apprentice
- Private weekend with Iliyana
- Custom-engraved finishing tools
- Documentary photography of your work
$34,000
Patron
Funds two scholarship seats for emerging practitioners. Includes everything above.
- Everything in Master
- Sponsors two scholarship seats
- Named in the cohort dedication
- Private archival commission
$4,750
Apprentice
$19,000 total. First payment due upon acceptance.
- All twelve modules
- Three residencies
- Loom & all materials
- Lifetime alumni access
Most chosen
$5,500
Master
$22,000 total. Includes everything in Master tier.
- Everything in Apprentice
- Private weekend with Iliyana
- Custom-engraved finishing tools
- Documentary photography
$9,000
Patron
$36,000 total. Funds two scholarship seats.
- Everything in Master
- Sponsors two scholarship seats
- Named in the cohort dedication
- Private archival commission
From the cohorts
Forty-one apprentices. Quietly building lifetimes around it.
I came in believing I knew what slow craft meant. I left with a different relationship to time itself.
The first time I weaved through a tide change, I cried into my mask for an hour. Iliyana waited patiently the whole time.
My finished piece sits in the entry of our gallery. Visitors ask about it more than the Hockney across from it.
I was the most skeptical person in the boat on day one. By month three I was dreaming in knots.
It is the only program I have ever finished and immediately wanted to begin again.
The closing ceremony
On the final morning, your work is witnessed by the entire cohort and quietly entered into the archive.
No certificates. No diplomas. A single line in a leather-bound book that has held every name since 1962.
Questions
Asked, mostly, on the first call.
If yours is not here, write to us. Iliyana reads every note.
Do I need to know how to dive?
No. We arrange PADI Open Water certification at the first residency at no extra cost. Most apprentices arrive non-divers and leave comfortable to twelve meters.
How physically demanding is it?
Moderately. You should be in good general health, comfortable with three-hour immersions, and able to swim 200m surface unaided. We adapt the program for accessibility β please write to us.
What if I miss a residency?
There is one make-up residency in October for any single missed week. Missing more than one residency means deferring to the following cohort.
Is there a scholarship?
Yes β two full scholarships per cohort, funded by Patron-tier alumni. Applications open separately each November.
Can I sell what I make?
Yes. The pieces are yours. Three alumni currently exhibit through major galleries. We can connect you to representation if interested.
Why is it so expensive?
Twenty-eight days of one-to-five teaching, three weeks of residency lodging and meals, a hand-forged loom, four kilograms of sea silk, and a chartered vessel for sixteen days. The math is unromantic.
Apply
Nine seats. Begin 14 March 2026. Applications close on the next new moon.
A short application β twelve questions, twenty minutes β and a fifteen-minute call with Iliyana. Decisions within ten days.
Or write to iliyana@abyssalweave.studio