Reviving local crafts through design for mass production.
With Sand Art Revival we transform a traditional, local craft into home furniture and décor items.
It is believed that sand art dates back to the Nabateans that built the historic city of Petra. Since then, the art has been passed on through generations. Now it is mostly young and underprivileged men who practice the art. They sell their craft in bottles for tourists for a few dollars. It is a craft that has seen no new development in recent years.
We wanted to make sure that our designs would honor the integrity of the craft. The challenge was to apply sand art to items that are produced in large quantities, while making sure that we weren’t alienating the community.
Year
2012
Client
Twelve Degrees
Awards & Mentions
- Spark Awards – Finalist
- A’Design Awards – Gold
- UNESCO Handmade Objects Competition – Winner 1st place
We started out with table lamps. It was important to highlight the sand art as central to the product. We wanted to empower the sand artists to express their art in different styles, while we introduced new pigments and materials to create new palettes and patterns.
To make sure that our design is sustainable but also creates a lasting economic opportunity for the sand artists, we created sand art inserts. You can change the sand art inserts without needing to buy a new lamp. So moving house, changing the color of your wall, or just in for a bit of a change? Just switch the insert!
Design Features
Introducing new colors and materials to the craft to create a customizable and personalized lamp or wall art.
This initiative is aimed at reviving a traditional craft and empowering its community.
The art can be replaced separately from the lamp. This way it easily works with different interiors and we reduce waste.
