women refugee artisans weave 'making knots' installation at milan design week

gianpaolo venier of otto studio presents making knots

Milan Design Week’s Fuorisalone is not only a collector of product novelties or a networking platform, but also a stage for launching initiatives of profound social significance. SpaghettiWall inside the new Le Stanze showroom hosts Making Knots, a textiles installation conceived by Gianpaolo Venier of OTTO Studio with the creative contribution of a group of Afghan and Syrian refugee women. The work is presented alongside a contribution by Giorgio Biscaro, in support of UNHCR and its MADE51 initiative which aims to enhance the skills and cultural heritage of refugee artisans by creating opportunities for economic autonomy and amplifying their stories.

all images courtesy of Ivan Granolla

fuorisalone invites exploration of ‘materia natura’

Refugee artisans face multiple challenges that limit their ability to sell their products on the market. To facilitate their journey, UNHCR identifies groups with craft skills and connects them with businesses to reach the global market through MADE51’s unique ecosystem model. Today, MADE51 involves around 4,000 artisans in 23 countries, 85% of whom are women.

Otto Studio’s Making Knots installation at the Fuorisalone incorporates the creativity of a group of Afghan refugee women who have found protection in India and Syrian refugee women in Lebanon: weaves and yarns are in fact transformed by Venier into pom poms and braids, and then into upholstery for a furnishing accessory, an ADJ Style vase, and a colorful wallpaper with an abstract subject in three color variants, produced by SpaghettiWall and part of the new catalogue.

presented at Milan Design Week’s Fuorisalone

empowering refugee artisans at milan design week

‘We are entrepreneurs, architects, design enthusiasts, but we are first and foremost people, with values and a social responsibility,’ says Federica Borgobello, CEO of SpaghettiWall. ‘In this sense we feel that our commitment to SpaghettiWall must necessarily go beyond the decorative theme. With this initiative we want to make our means available to support the many people who have lost everything due to armed conflicts. Thanks to Gian Paolo Venier and UNHCR, we have the opportunity to do this in the way that is closest to our identity: through color and visual language’.

The installation also provides an opportunity to raise funds in support of the MADE51 project, through donations with a dedicated QR code, and also through the auction of certain unique customized pieces. The silent auction will be open to all and active until May 15, available here.

by Gianpaolo Venier of OTTO Studio with the contribution of a group of Afghan and Syrian refugee women

weaves and yarns transformed into pom poms and braids, and then into upholstery for a furnishing accessory

UNHCR identifies groups with craft skills and connects them with businesses to reach the global market

project info:

name: Making Knots
designer: OTTO Studio | Gianpaolo Venier

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom