communities | co/rizom

small enterprise / after school program

4 artisans / 11 students

owner & teacher: zaza gatenashvili

co/rizom partner since 2/2019

what is home?

Zaza creates objects that connect him to his roots.

objects that are covered in archaic symbols carved

deeply into the wood - relating to a world he has lost.

this is not a sentimental notion but a critical part of his identity & that of thousands of Georgian IDPs 'Internally Displaced People' from South Ossetia

who are now living in a settlement near Tbilisi.

Zaza is recovering memory - one movement of the chisel at a time - preserving knowledge while educating students & sharing the cultural traditions of his ancestors with the world.

team: andrei georgescu business development. nadja zerunian creative. susanna koeberle text. pauline thurn und taxis & alex levac photography. tamar kiknadze & maka dvalishvili local support.

small family business

11 female & 2 male artisans

owner: nebije qotaj

co/rizom partner since 1/2019

it takes a lot of courage & determination

to rise as a woman in a traditional Albanian village.

but when the fishing jobs disappeared in neighboring Lake Shkodaer, & her family had to be taken care of, Nebije remembered the long afternoons spent watching her grandmother magically turn row after row of thread into colorful carpets on a loom.

she turned her home into a workshop, dyeing wool & weaving & soon trained & employed eleven local women, each one– the sole breadwinner in their families..

team: andrei georgescu business development. nadja zerunian creative. walter aigner technical expert. marta galli text. pauline thurn und taxis photography. gjoana leka & erjon kacerja albania local support.

volunteer cooperative

9 female & 2 male artisans

community organizer: ana florea

co/rizom partner since 3/2019

cultural appropriation

It took a French couture house & a successful

global campaign to realize that local heritage is

part of people’s identity.

a team of weavers & embroiderers have taken

on a legacy on the verge of extinction.

by recovering centuries-old patterns at a time

when local tastes & needs have moved on from

traditional wear & by applying this knowledge

to a range of products they ensure the continued

relevance & survival of their craft.

team: andrei georgescu business development. chiara van praag creative.

wiener times creative cooperation.

jasmin jouhar texts. nazef rerhuf photography.

artist

3 artisans

owner: abdulvahid karimov

co/rizom partner since 2/2020

when precious talent

is not enough to make a living -

extraordinary traditions are threatened /

corners are cut. products become remnants

of faded glory meaningless souvenirs

disconnected from their legacy.

determined to stay true to the ancient heritage

of the region & its craft a young potter

revives unique techniques & thrives

to produce once again authentic objects.

gilles masse social business development. nadja zerunian creative. matthias kaiser technical expert. karin pollack texts. pauline thurn und taxis photography. jamshid fayzuallev & jack turner local support.

bosnia_web_credit nick st oeger6 copy.jp

small family business

female artisan & suppliers

owner: nermina alic

co/rizom partner since 2/2020

natural succession

a daughter is rising to fill the shoes of her ancestors - breaking with a tradition to resume the legacy of an ancient craft.

maintaining a passion for local patterns & methods she finds her own distinct voice

team:

mischertraxler creative.

trish malloch - brown business development.

nick st. oeger photography. kimberly bradley text.

cooperative

20 female artisans

community organizer: terézia eperjesi

partner since 2/2020

bits & pieces

for centuries rural communities knew how to transform scraps into essential household items. but by focusing solely on cost efficiency & large-scale production the tradition of utilizing all supplies available is dying. halting what seemed an inevitable path & by revaluing local knowledge a group of women is reversing this course & slowly reclaiming the use of a natural resource

rmarta giardini creative.

gabor nagy business development.

pauline thurn und taxis photography.

visibility

hufnagl & soehne

metal smith

vienna, austria

small family business

owner: martin hufnagl

co/rizom partner

from fall /2020

now & then

traditional artisans are vanishing at accelerated speed. this is not just a result of inevitable progress & rapid change. but a fundamental divide of inflexible distribution patterns & shifted purchasing habits. many extraordinarily talented master artisans have not adjusted to this new environment.

we want to join forces with a traditional viennese artisan to proof that the disappearance of a craft can be challenged if the co/rizom roadmap is applied.

relevance

co/rizom partner

from spring 2021

traditional crafts

on the migration route.

when circumstances suddenly change, artisanal skills can seem pointless in the struggle to survive. we will collaborate with an international initiative supporting people threatened by displacement.