Collective braiding

Collective braiding
Twist and Roll by Camille Champion
Sustainable Innovations

9. February 2023

A world where everything is becoming faster, more connected and more digital, endless possibilities are emerging. But why always strive for the new instead of continuing the traditional?

Designer Camille Champion has taken note of this development and, during a stay in South Korea, set out to revive interest in traditional craftsmanship.

During her travels, she discovered the over 500-year-old technique of jiseung – a process dating back to the Joseon Dynasty that is used to make basketry from old books and paper waste. To do this, the paper is cut into thin strips and then corded. The cords can then be woven into containers such as baskets in various colours and patterns using different basketry techniques.

To save this cultural heritage from extinction, Camille Champion has launched the “Twist and Roll” project, bringing the reuse of newspaper waste to create new objects into a modern Western context: to pass on the craft, the designer has set up a series of workshops to give school children a connection to this tradition. She has designed a small weaving tutorial to teach children to make their own paper threads, weave them on a loom and then collectively build a tent-like structure for their classroom. Twist and Roll combines sustainability, creativity, craft skills and teamwork to show how the education system can benefit from crafts.

“In my opinion, giving the right tools to the new generations is very important.
Teaching them about materiality, history, or sustainability, will allow them to make the right choices for a better future.”