Butterfly Works

2008 - ongoing, worldwide

‘Liberate the maker’ stands for the development of creative learning tools, which expand on indigenous design skills of local manufacturers in order to improve their position in a global context.

Original concept: Butterfly Works
In cooperation with: Return to Sender and Maria Blaisse

Inspired by experiences and feedback from partners organizations, we started researching the concept of product innovation in developing countries. Our research focused on three issues: product design, quality conditions and export marketing.

For instance in Mongolia, Return to Sender and Butterfly Works invested in improving the quality of actual materials of the work process of typical Mongolian furniture. Together with a Dutch woodworker and anthropologist we worked with the craftsmen to develop a more sustainable way to create this typical furniture.

Currently, we are brainstorming with Return to Sender on what course to follow, in order to facilitate local experts with a creative toolbox on product design as well as quality conditions and export marketing. The local experts should be able to implement this creative toolbox with the producers of Return to Sender.