Jungmitglied
Alix Arto
Portfolio
Herding Wool
Kunde: Prohelvetia
Rechte: Alix Arto, Emma Casella, Yihan Zhang
Zeitraum: 2024 - 2025
To explore the full potential of wool felting, Swiss designers Alix Arto and Emma Casella have partnered with Chinese designer Yihan Zhang from Róng Design Library. Examining the anthropological significance of animal fibres, the project celebrates felting as a bridge between tradition and innovation while blending local cultures with international techniques and regional materials. Collaborating with shepherds, fibre processors and craftspeople, the project also addresses the undervaluation of diverse wool breeds through a felt database, while highlighting the material’s sustainable qualities. Drawing on their collective expertise, the three designers share a commitment to meaningful and sustainable practices. The outcome bridges material exploration with public engagement through an exhibition platform, workshop and a publication that summarises the meetings and exchanges throughout this journey and translates these findings into accessible narratives. This was supported by Prohelvetia & Róng Design Library. It had been exhibited at Freitag in Shanghai and the Róng Design Library in Hangzhou in September 2024. The publication was presented for the first time during Milano Design week in April 2025. It was then presented during "I Never Read" Art book fair in June 2025, during the Zurich design weeks with Qwstion and Swiss Textiles, during "Tangible festival" in Marseille with les Beaux-Arts. The project has received a Swiss Design Award 2025.
Kunde: Prohelvetia
Rechte: Alix Arto, Emma Casella, Yihan Zhang
Zeitraum: 2024 - 2025
To explore the full potential of wool felting, Swiss designers Alix Arto and Emma Casella have partnered with Chinese designer Yihan Zhang from Róng Design Library. Examining the anthropological significance of animal fibres, the project celebrates felting as a bridge between tradition and innovation while blending local cultures with international techniques and regional materials. Collaborating with shepherds, fibre processors and craftspeople, the project also addresses the undervaluation of diverse wool breeds through a felt database, while highlighting the material’s sustainable qualities. Drawing on their collective expertise, the three designers share a commitment to meaningful and sustainable practices. The outcome bridges material exploration with public engagement through an exhibition platform, workshop and a publication that summarises the meetings and exchanges throughout this journey and translates these findings into accessible narratives. This was supported by Prohelvetia & Róng Design Library. It had been exhibited at Freitag in Shanghai and the Róng Design Library in Hangzhou in September 2024. The publication was presented for the first time during Milano Design week in April 2025. It was then presented during "I Never Read" Art book fair in June 2025, during the Zurich design weeks with Qwstion and Swiss Textiles, during "Tangible festival" in Marseille with les Beaux-Arts. The project has received a Swiss Design Award 2025.
Kontaktadresse
Alix Arto
Links
Curriculum Vitae
Arbeitsbereiche
Industriedesign
Objektdesign
Textildesign
Materialdesign
Co-Creation