ILENELE Project

The message of the project

The ILENE Project will design and test a collaborative methodology and digital design tool to facilitate co-creation between urban artists and rural artisans, overcoming geographic distance. This initiative aims to enable the co-creation of extraordinary large-scale textile murals, woven by hand with care. The partnership team is dedicated to empowering female green rural entrepreneurship across Europe.

The idea behind the project

The concept is rooted in extensive experience with art and craft co-creation systems, a core value of the Peruvian Las Manuelas Project, co-founded and directed by ILENELE Lead Partner Isabel Berz and her collaborator Margot Matesanz, who developed the inclusive co-design tool. The ILENELE Project represents the first initiative of its kind in Europe, developed in Moldova, thanks to the collaboration of Carolina Tulgara and her team at the Moldovan Fashion Hub Ziphouse in Chisinau, the local ILENE Project Partner. Additionally, the project benefits from the valuable contributions of the creative community ShowUsYourType, an international platform for visual artists co-founded by ILENELE Project Partner Lisi Badia.

What next?

Building on the experience and knowledge gained from the ILENELE Project, the team will develop a model that connects rural and urban communities through an art and craft co-creation design and green production system. Following the WORTH Project, there are plans to implement this model in other rural regions of Europe, with the aim of empowering small creative female businesses.