Chili lamps brings traditional craftsmanship to life with a contemporary lamp

a revival of traditional craftsmanship by Chilean lamps

Lamps From Chile is a collaborative project led by designers Paula Corrales and Mitsue Kido, which focuses on the artisan rescue of traditional Chilean crafts and connects them with contemporary design. The project offers new opportunities to both areas through collaboration, amplifying marketing networks and international dissemination for traditional Chilean artisans, and giving territorial roots to Chilean design. During the Biennale des Métiers d’Art Contemporains de Paris 2022, Lamps From Chile launched its new collection entitled Crin Weaving Lamp Colour, a collection of circular and dyed horsehair. lamps which incorporate the traditional techniques of color work and weaving of the horsehair craftsmanship of the village of Rari.

The new collection of Lamps From Chile is called Crin Weaving Lamp Color

all images courtesy of the author

the rari horsehair lamp is made of braided horsehair

In the first Lamps From Chile collection of 2018, the Chilean designers worked with five different artisan communities in the Maule region of Chile, to design five different light fixtures. Here, the designers first explored how traditional horsehair artisans create small, colorful pieces with a traditional technique that involves weaving horsehair and a plant fiber called Ixtle. Color is also an essential factor for horsehair craftsmen, holding an integral heritage and aesthetic value that represents the countryside where Rari is located. It also makes weaving easier for artisans, making small threads that merge together as the weave grows more visible.

In 2022, during the 5th Biennial of Contemporary Crafts in Paris, Salón Révélations, Chilean designers launched the Crin Weaving Lamp Color collection. This was produced in collaboration with traditional horsehair artisan Pilar Vejar, based on exploring the growth of weaving in 2018 and incorporating the vibrant colors that characterize the traditional micro basketry of the Chilean Rari village.

vibrant tinted lamps are available in different color variations