Curious who made it to the pods?

The following PODs bring craft knowledge from Europe, Asia & Africa, as well as various materials & techniques.

We will keep you posted with news from their unique journey!

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• Creative: MACHEIA. Design studio, based in Lisbon. Created in 2020 by italian-german product designer Lucrezia Papillo and mozambican-portuguese architect Iany Gayo. With an intentional focus on natural fibers, ancient techniques and their continuity, MACHEIA’s work ranges from ‘transfer of know-how’ related products, collaborative installations and private commissions
• Business Developer: Allegra Zanirato
• Artisan: Manuel Ferreira

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• Creative: Georg Foster. Independent designer with a focus on crafts and material reuse
• Business Developer: Leana Fischer. Cofounder of Reverse AG, working within service design, innovation and strategy
• Artisan: Fonderie Brügger (Alexis & Arnaud Brügger). Third generation artisans creating traditional bells in the Fribourg region of Switzerland
  

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• Creative: Luca Gruber. Initially trained in Industrial Design, Luca graduated with a diploma from the University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt. After working in the luxury industry on several projects, he decided to focus on his own practice and strengthen his relationship on ongoing projects with various materials and artisans around Europe
• Business Developer: Sandro Reginelli is the Business Development Officer and Head of the Creative Lab at Preciflex. He gained vast experience in the luxury industry and launched several successful products after working with Maurice Lacroix, Hautlance, and HYT, to name a few
• Artisan: Carl Auböck V.
• Carl Auböck V. follows the old tradition of the first girdler sheet metal shapers in his family, creating endless possibilities for shape creation for this new generation of craftsmanship. With his background as a trained architect, his mix of traditional and modern techniques incorporate influences from generations dating back to the 19th century. His expertise works involves fully hand built sculptures in the form of motorcycle bodies, vases, lamps and custom metal objects.
  

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Casted Vessels – embracing imperfection

A collection of aluminum casted vessels, that embrace the imperfections that occur during the process of metal casting. Instead of removing seams and flaws of the casted object, the design highlights these elements and use it as a focus point of the objects 

• Creative: Anna Zimmerman is a designer working in the fields of object design, spatial design and concept development. Anna’s work is versatile, multidisciplinary, inspired by everyday life and there is often a layer of social controversy beneath it. With a conceptual approach, her fascination for material, surfaces and contemporary aesthetics are key in her practice.
• Business Developer: Rheija Hug studied business and marketing management. Working in a circular economy startup she has experience in product development and product launches.
• Artisan: Martin Petermann is a metal casting craftsman in Vienna. His workshop is located in the 16th district. He works with the sand casting and lost wax casting technique and can already look back on over 30 years of professional experience. He’s specialized in art casting, makes signs and is known for the production of trophies.
  

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Hazel Wave

By splitting strips of hazel tree, turning them into ribbons and weaving them, using traditional Slovenian wicker techniques, this POD will bring seen and unseen qualities into the ambience of our homes.

• Creative: Darja Malesic graduated from the Royal College of Art in London and worked for many years in the luxury fashion industry as a fashion designer. She founded the ethical lifestyle brand Flowe Craft, whilst collaborating with various Slovenian wicker artisans. Two collections of wicker products designed by Darja have been awarded the Badge of Design Excellence ”Made in Slovenia” by the Centre for Creativity (Museum of Architecture and Design, Slovenia)
• Business Developer: Alenka Marsh has worked in the international marketing and sales environment since 1987. In 2003 she set up her own textile design agency that supplies textile print designs to the international fashion brands and textile mills
• Artisan: Cvetka Grbec is a Slovenian artisan specialising in wickerwork. She makes products from various materials, including hazel, willow, and corn husk. From an early age Cvetka  admired the work of her neighbours basket-maker. Later in life, Cvetka decided to make baskets herself
  

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Garbaha – contemporary Ceramics in Grottaglie

The POD aims to attract attention onto the ceramic district of Grottaglie by revisiting and re-interpreting the ancestral symbols of Apulia. The project takes off from extensive iconographic research, connecting the tradition of Grottaglie to contemporary rituals in a collection of ceramic artifacts

• Creative: Sara Bologna is a designer and design curator based in Milan. With a background in both design and contemporary art, she develops and manages projects related to the exploration of cross-disciplinary design practices, while at the same time pursuing her own design research with a focus on immaterial and anthropological dimensions of objects.
• Business Developer: Diapason Consortium
• Artisan: Francesco Urselli
  

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Inner side of the shape

A combination of copper and brass vases mended by craftsman Victor Clopotar, which will intrigue the viewer with the interplay between the inner and outer layer of materials

• Creative: Radu Abraham. A collage of wood, glass, metal, plastic, used in different proportions, vigurously articulated into a bold, contrasting aesthetic, is what defines Radu Abraham’s body of work. Based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
• Business Developer: Victor Dulgheru has a long history in the product development of household objects and home decor, handmade in underprivileged communities from Romania
• Artisan: Victor Clopotar was born into a family of Căldărari, a Roma community in Brăteiu, Transylvania, a community that has worked in metal crafts – copper, silver and brass – for centuries. He has followed in the footsteps of his ancestors and trained as a coppersmith. There used to be 200 Roma coppersmiths in his village, today there are only six left. To do something elliptical or asymmetrical is a real craft challenge, and Victor is one of the few people in the world able to do this
  

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Akwete of a Different Kind – Old Meets New

This handwoven collection is inspired by the traditional Igbo weaving techniques of the women from Akwete in the eastern part of Nigeria. It consists of a rug-wall tapestry, table mat and runner fusing woven water hyacinth (a renewable natural resource and invasive aquatic weed) with contemporary Akwete inspired motifs and patterns using fish twine

• Creative: Toni Akinmoladun is a young multi-disciplinary artist and designer, who is heavily influenced by her rich African culture. She explores the use of natural materials in her creative process to give expressions to her imaginations.
• Business Developer: Achenyo Idachaba Obaro is a Computer Scientist turned Social Entrepreneur and a Creative at heart. She is the Founder of MitiMeth, an award-winning Social Enterprise transforming waste and building livelihoods through the transformation of invasive aquatic weeds and agricultural residues
• Artisan: Philomena Chigozie Ekwutosi is representative of the Akwete weaving community and will be working closely with Achenyo and Toni. She comes from a family of Akwete cloth weavers and is excited about applying the same weaving techniques using new materials to make the collection.
  

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Co-existence is the essence

Contemporary western design meets traditional arts and crafts from Nepal. The POD will show a variety of handicrafts made in Nepal by connecting the skills in producing textile posters/wallhangings

• Creative: Mareike Lienau designs knotted objects and unique carpets that fuse an avant-garde design approach with traditional craftsmanship. All her textiles are handmade in a Fairtrade project in Nepal, using socially and environmentally responsible materials and processes
• Business Developer: Marie Ange Holmgren Sylvain designs functional and home decor objects to be handcrafted by artisans of the world. Her brand, Pia, is based in Nepal and works with coppersmiths, weavers, potters and wood artists to create contemporary objects that have their place in today’s lifestyle
• Artisan community from Nepal
  

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Chairs for Băbeni

The main goal of the chairs collection is to bring the Romanian classical wooden three-legged stool into a contemporary context. Nicu Drăgan is a young craftsman from Vâlcea, who learned his artisan skills from his parents and took them further – a craft that represented the main source of income for him and his family for two generations

• Creative: Nadja Zerunian. After years as a creative force for big international companies like Georg Jensen, Calvin Klein & The Swatch Group & creative consultant for the United Nations Development Organization she cofounded co/rizom to develop a tool that connects traditional artisans with global retailers
• Business Developer: Victor Dulgheru has a long history in the product development of household objects and home decor, handmade in underprivileged communities from Romania
• Artisan Community: Nicu Drăgan
  

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Weaving Stories from Balkan Heritage – The Contemporary Abduction

A collection of carpets and wall tapestries, with a minimal and contemporary aesthethic discourse, but produced using a very old technique of weaving woolen carpets from Romania

• Creative: Sebastian Pren is a locally and internationally recognized graphic artist, known for his recognizable and minimalist style
• Business Developer: Room 21 is a local store of curated goods, highlighting Romanian products, as well as the designers, studios, small factories or craftsmen who make them possible
• Artisan: Georgeta Mitroiu
  

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Kafenio

The POD brings together Pattes, a second generation artisan on the island of Lesbos in Greece, with an NGO working to empower vulnerable groups through the training of skills. Together with Paddy Pike they will introduce contemporary designs to a traditional Greek taverna chair made from natural fibers in order to reach a modern audience

• Creative: Paddy Pike founded his design practice after submerging himself in the world of high-end furniture by working for many of the industry leaders
• Business Developer & Artisan Community: Human Ark is a Greek NGO working with vulnerable groups such as female refugees and migrants. Its aim is to preserve traditional crafts experience and knowledge from being lost. They are promoting collaboration between vulnerable populations and local handcrafts professionals by training and integrating those groups into the labour market