A spin-off of co/rizom incubation program, co/fab is a collective of designers, artisans and business professionals dedicated to empowering communities through design-based innovation of traditional crafts for a fairer design industry.
With an eye to environmental, social and cultural sustainability, co/fab collections draw attention to a diverse range of craft skills and materials. Each product is designed in a collaboration between designers and artisans, to deliver high quality and locally sourced products that embody stories of heritage, dedication and craftsmanship.
co/fab
Radu Abraham, Carl Auböck, BAKALOWITS Licht Design, Sara Bologna, Georg Foster, Luca Gruber, Lyk Carpet, Darja Malesic, MACHEIA, MitiMeth, Paddy Pike, Pappo Crafts, Pia, room 21, Anna Zimmermann.
Akwete of a different kind
five tapestries & rugs / handwoven in Nigeria / water hyacinth, fish twine
AKWETE cloth is usually made of cotton thread, and the decorative motifs are produced with cotton threads of a heavier texture or rayon silk. Most Akwete designs or motifs are created through the inspiration of the weaver. This collection is adopting the Akwete weaving technique using new materials – woven water hyacinth, a natural fibre material and fish twine both of which have never been used in the history of Akwete weaving.
Annica Vanitas
four objects / shaped in Vienna / brass, volcanic rock
Annica Vanitas looks into the inherent fragile beauty of brass through the lens of different cultural heritages. The result is a collection of objects that interpret impermanence physically and symbolically.
Bulrush
chair, low seat, lamp / hand made / natural dried bulrush, galvanized iron
Bulrush zooms in the Bunho technique – a unique Portuguese basketry technique that shapes the natural fibre Bulrush (Schoenoplectrus Palla), into a intricate mesh of knots and stitches. Nowadays, the Bunho technique is kept by the hands and know-how of only two artisans in Europe: one of them is Manuel Ferreira. With the intention of preserving and highlighting such important heritage, Bulrush combines the most iconic shape the technique takes – the spiral – with metal structures to create a new dynamic between both materials.
cast like a bell
three objects / sand casted in Switzerland / bronze and steel
feel.ambiguity
three stools / hand made / each piece is different / cattail, wool, paper, cardamon, bamboo
feel.ambiguity shows a variety of handicrafts made in Nepal by connecting the skills in producing wall hangings and furniture, at the crossroad of contemporary Western design and traditional arts and crafts from Nepal.
Garbaha
three vases / hand made / ceramic, engobes
Garbaha aims to attract attention to 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 artefacts.
hazel wave
four objects / handcrafted in Slovenia / wicker
By splitting strips of hazel tree, turning them into ribbons and weaving them, using traditional Slovenian wicker techniques, hazel wave brings seen and unseen qualities into the ambience of our homes.
inner side of the shape
four objects / double walled vase collection In handcrafted geometry / copper
inner side of the shape is 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 layers of materials.
Kafenio
three objects / handcarved in the island of Lesvos, Greece / chestnut, wicker
Kafenio brings together Pattes, a second-generation artisan on the island of Lesbos in Greece, Paddy, an experienced UK designer and an NGO working to empower vulnerable groups through skills training. Their aim? To introduce contemporary designs to a traditional Greek taverna chair made from natural fibres.
omaggio carpets
NESA / Albania / three Kilims
the hook collection
hook & lamps collection / each piece is unique, manually bent and finished in Austria / steel
Vessels of Imperfection
six objects / each piece is different: aluminium casted in Vienna / aluminium
Vessels of Imperfection is a collection of aluminium casted vessels, that embrace the imperfections occurring during the process of metal casting. Instead of removing seams and flaws of the casted object, they will be highlighted and used as a focal point of the objects.
Weaving Stories from Balkan Heritage
three rugs / handmade in Romania / wool & cotton
The collection draws upon the rich history of Balkan tapestries and investigates how immaterial heritage can coexist with contemporary design. The collection is a series of rugs combining functional design and contemporary art, contributing to preserving local narratives and generating a cultural mix between old and new.
Woogie Șez
two chairs / hand made in Romania / willow wood, wool, cotton & raffia
Woogie Șez brings the Romanian classical wooden three-legged stool into a contemporary context. The collection consists of 100% hand-carved wooden products, accessorized with hand-stitched pillows from pieces of carpets with traditional Romanian motifs.
The Magic of Three
Series of bowls chased in copper & gold plated. Centered shapes, miraculously balanced. Victor Clopotar, Brateiu, Romania: metalsmith with Andrei Georgescu and Nadja Zerunian / launched at Design Miami Basel in 2022 , selected for the ‘Golden Age’, Podium exhibition. Available through Design Miami and the co/rizom sales network.
Honey, Dear !
A small edition of honey dippers, challenging the preconceived notion of what a specific tool should look like. Tested by honey addicts & produced by Angelică Papaleț a talented artisan from a community of Roma wood workers. The beginning of an ongoing collaboration with co/rizom to create steady incomes – one spoon at a time.
Little Monsters
Scary Beasts
The magical transformation of table mats. Tápé was the centre of Hungarian cattail production. A group of women wants to keep this traditional craft alive. They see it as part of their identity, and one they never want to lose. Setting the foundations to not only keep a tradition alive but also build an income stream, Marta Giardini transformed generic merchandise (table mats and trivets) into a small collection of iconic lamps that are full of humor and wit.
Homo Faber
Victor Clopotar’s initial collection is created to emphasise the distinct identity of a master of his craft. Challenging forms made from a single piece of silver – dozens of times in the fire and hammered several thousand times until the final shape arrives.
Almost Two
Recognizing the iconic strength of Transylvanian traditional folk chairs we re-edited a selection with Vasilica Isăcescu and paired them with patchwork pillows created by Wiener Times.
TALPE, Bihor, Romania: wood carving with Andrei Georgescu and Nadja Zerunian, textiles with Wiener Times / Presented at Romanian Design Week, The London Design Festival and Vienna Design Week in 2020.
One
Trying to understand the essence & processes of diverse crafts we collaborated with Nebije Qotai, the owner of a traditional kilim manufacture in Albania, Ana Florea and her team of embroiderers and weavers in Romania, to highlight elements of traditional patterns in strong colors. To reconnect to the rich heritage of Transylvania we re-edited five antiques folk chairs that we discovered in the regional museum with Vasilica Isăcescu, a local wood carver and followed a similar path with Zaza Gatenashvili focusing on boxes with archetypal patterns that have defined Georgian culture for centuries. By transferring these objects into a new context we aimed to reposition perception of traditional crafts & their makers.
