• Year | Location :

‍ CSR Project | 2019 | Mumbai & Kerala (Kollam, Kottayam)

• Craft:

  Screwpine mat weaving - traditionally practiced by women in Kerala.

• Partner:

  Jawahar Centre, Kottayam

• Output:
  A. Yoga bag using woven screw pine mat + locally sourced ikat
  B. Decorative screw pine tiles / panels for interiors.

• Reposition screwpine mat craft through contemporary product applications.

• Design outcomes that increase value without losing the character of the craft.

• The work was well received and placed in museum and artisanal stores across metro cities.
  

• Concept development

• Craft understanding and translation into product

• Prototyping and iterative refinement with artisan realities

• CMF and palette decisions

• Scalability is limited by natural material variability and the time handmade processes require.

  As the raw material shortage is one of the primary reason for the present crisis in this sector, any effort to rejuvenate this sector through training younger generation of crafts persons should be accompanied with large scale plantation of screwpine plants with the help of Government and local bodies in the districts to cope with demand for products made out of screw pine.

• Staying closer to natural colour and finish reduces inconsistency and protects repeatability.