pirta

Prototipado en Abierto 2017

Project developed in Karstula, Finland. Research about local ways to produce conductive threads and fabrics, based in local and grassrooted technologies and material resources. The goal is promote a connection among traditional textile technologies and new electronic and digital possibilities, but rooted in local needs and interests.

She Saija Lethonen showed me the Pirtanauha, a traditional finnish waist loom, some sketch about how to made the traditional bands..., and how she uses it

Pirta

Spinnig away

Residence program

So I decided to try my own band with "pirta" method. But is not so easy to find a "Pirta" avaible in the market. Somebody lend me one, and I started to use it with Sinikka Olkola help, she is craft teacher in Karstula Evangelisken Opisto

I also did some research about the waist loom and I found our that is a surviving neolithic technology on some places for weave traditionals patterns. In escandinavian countries, the bands weaved in this way was pretty common in Iron Age as clothing ornaments. And still is particulary used in Finalnd to weave they traditionals patterns

But "Pirta" nowadays is not so available in the market at a good price, so I decided to make one. I colected the looms made by peruvian designer Walter Gonzales Arnao in order to print them in a fablab but in Karstula it was not posible, although there are a lot of Sawmills. But in the Activity Center for Mental Health, they were able to copy it and made one in a DIY way

dwg

waist loom designed by Walter Arnau for laser cutting machine.

Inspired in peruvian tradional waist loom