«Anuvad™»: Translating crafts
«Anuvad™» at VIENNA DESIGN WEEK
«Anuvad™» has been selected among the 9 projects to be presented at the Design Switzerland exhibition, organised by Pro Helvetia in cooperation with Design Prize Switzerland, during the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK 2020, from 25 September until 4 October.
In addition to the exhibition, the designers will benefit from a targeted matchmaking programme and network with potential business partners.
In collaboration with:
«Anuvad™» blends a love of craft with an exploration of the possibilities offered by e-textiles.
Designer and Design researcher Chhail Khalsa is an alumna of the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad (India) and from the Hochschule Luzern, where she first developed «Anuvad™» as her master thesis while working as a research assistant.
The key aim of «Anuvad™» was to design, develop and prototype products that are already a part of the repertoire of traditional craft practices while amplifying their functionality through seamlessly embedding e-textile technology in them. The first range of products includes heated cushions and heated rugs, using an innovative woven circuit (patent pending) that provides heat in places where conventional heating solutions are scarce, as well as stoles with embedded LED’s in the weave structure that provides security in dark places by making the wearer more visible.
«Textiles are one of the mediums that is the closest to our bodies and one of the most existent in our daily surroundings. In this sense, it’s only natural that as we progress in the digital age our textile-based environment progresses in it too. E-textiles are essentially a sub-section of smart textiles . I believe this project can help crafts become relevant in the so-called ‘digital age’.» Chhail Khalsa
«Anuvad™» went on to receive several awards, grants, and recognition from organizations such as IKEA Foundation Switzerland, Creative hub Switzerland, and Luzern Design.
