Daryl's Messiah of Craft is imagined as a charming but delusional character fleeing contemporary society by embracing traditional crafts. To create the character, he interviewed and worked with prominent Sussex practitioners across a range of traditional crafts. They included trug maker Charlie Groves, basket maker Annemarie O'Sullivan and green woodworker Danny Harling.
Among myriad age-old skills Daryl learned himself are clog making, rush plaiting, hat making, tinsmithing, sinking and raising of copper, spoon carving, wood turning, ladder making, rake making and trug making.
Daryl found a particular affinity, however, with willow weaving – so much so that he used the technique to fashion a unique pair of willow trousers, which his 'character' proudly wears, declaring: “I am the Messiah of Craft. And these are my new trousers. I am on a divine mission to save tradition. And my clothes will tell the story.”
Daryl explains further: “With the workshops closed for four months over winter I had to get creative with the way I spent my time. This led me to work on techniques that could be done in my bedroom. I got interested in basketry and that is what led me to make the willow trousers. I was lucky enough to have the support of basket maker Annemarie O'Sullivan, who I helped harvest willow with in January.”