Bamboo canopy: Creating new reference-points for the craft of the Kotwalia community in India through sustainability

This article presents a framework to provide the Kotwalia, a traditional bamboo working community in India, with new directions on which to base craft evolution. The article proposes that collaborative innovation between designer and craftsperson is a means of expanding the craft vocabulary and tapping contemporary markets. It is also argued that a link between the apparently conflicting tenets of sustainability can be achieved through responsible and strategic design innovation which integrates the social, economic, ecological and cultural aspects.