ONE / a series of kilims that Maddalena Casadei developed with NESA, an all-women enterprise from the Zogaj in Albania. The women do not only weave the carpets, but also process the local wool. Living in an isolated area – they are the sole breadwinners of their families.
TWO / seven chairs inspired by traditional Romanian folk chairs – made with Vasilica Isacescu, a traditional wood carver in Talpe, who was collecting wild herbs to be able to continue his craft. We added patchwork pillows to the chairs – made from vintage local fabrics designed by Wiener times for ZESTREA, a volunteer group from Beius, Romania who struggle to continue a tradition, that has defined their local identity for centuries.
THREE / a group of vases is the beginning of an ongoing cooperation between the Austrian design duo mischer’traxler and MANGALA – a family workshop in Sarajevo – that Nermina Alic, as the only daughter took over to keep a family tradition alive. A highly unusual move: she is the only female coppersmith in Bosnia.
FOUR / Wonderous wall ornaments and lamps made of cattail in Tape – Also there, AMC – a group of volunteer artisans is using their objects as tools to reassert a local heritage that has been strongly asso- ciated with Southern Hungary. Marta Giardini has collaborated on this collection and proven that with ingenuity and creativity one can find solutions to re-imagine an ancient craft and transport it into a contemporary environment.
