Design to Market – Talent Program. Over the coming weeks, Dutch Design Daily will be introducing the participants of 2025, today Amy Lewis.
Amy Lewis experiments with traditional textile techniques and translates them into contemporary, sensory objects. Her work combines craftsmanship, material research, and imagination.
What is the story behind the Light Charmer Totems?
The Light Charmer Totems originated from an exploration of the ancient Japanese braiding technique Kumihimo. By giving this technique a contemporary interpretation with colorful paper yarn, wooden elements are tied together to form sculptural volumes. The traditional idea of the Japanese lantern is thus reinvented, while retaining its essence: light, paper, and wood. In the exhibition, LED light flows through the work like a luminous thread, dancing within its wooden shell.
What makes your work special or distinctive?
The freedom of manual weaving makes it possible to transform materials through conscious choices in color, texture, and composition. Weaving offers the possibility to create lightness, transparency, and movement, both inside and outside the object. And if all materials can be enchanted by weaving, why not consider light as a “material”?
Are you currently working on anything exciting or new in preparation?
I am currently working with EE Labels on their Talent Development Program. Together, we are developing a collection of tactile textiles that showcase the qualities of jacquard weaving, made possible in their weaving mill in Heeze.
Do you have a message you want to share?
For me, craftsmanship is a record of the knowledge passed down by our ancestors. Centuries-old techniques interweave the past, present, and future. They celebrate the human touch and the tactile qualities of making. That is why it is so important to me to develop contemporary interpretations of traditional textile crafts, so that we can enjoy a sensory experience every day.
Design to Market
Design to Market is a talent program in Brabant for young designers who are looking to grow professionally and make a difference in society. Through personal coaching and practical training, they help them build their entrepreneurial skills and personal leadership.
Interview: Strooploos
