BLANKETS DESIGNED AROUND PEOPLE
With Wolwaeren, a series of seven blankets woven by people
with a mental or physical impairment, Roland Pieter Smit designed
looms that reflect the psychological and physical needs of the
makers. For example autistic people can work at a very refined
level with thin yarn, while those with Downs Syndrome need
thicker yarn. The yarns are made from Texel wool, once lucrative,
now almost worthless. Also by offering the sheep farmers an
honest price, Smit reinstates some of the value of the wool.
Wolwaeren reintroduces the age-old tradition of using woollen
blankets to the Netherlands and processes the wool as close to
the source as is possible.