Graduation project
Calluna
Salvatore Caltabellotta
"Reinterpreting the traditional uses of the ubiquitous plant in pre-industrial Europe."
WHAT
This series of bedroom products made from heather is a reflection on the impact great historical shifts have on human needs and activities, and thus the landscape.
WHY
While industrialisation offered mankind new and much broader perspectives, it also changed our needs. Open spaces, where sheep used to graze the colourful heather, were turned into woods for timber, industrial sites, and related landscaped areas. Only a third of the original heather fields remained — as protected natural heritage.
HOW
Salvo Caltabellotta uses heather as his main material and processes it using contemporary production techniques such as mechanical shaving and needle punching. He has dyed his felted and brushed textiles using pigments from the plant and following age-old recipes.