A new exhibition asks whether design, like corals, can give back to the planet

“This is one of my favourite projects,” says Lotte Kristoferitsch, pointing to a pair of Raschschuhe, traditional shoes made of forest grass, harvested once a year from a secret location in Austria, then dried, braided and woven into shoes using wooden lasts. Keeping the location of the grass secret is deliberate, preventing the overuse of common, community resources.

Additionally, it is an example of tangible living heritage: the craft of making these shoes is culturally passed down and practised by only 12 Austrian women. “It is very fashionable. Doesn’t look like it, but Vivienne Westwood wore them; her husband is from that region,” laughs Lotte, the curator of IMAGINE: Coral Reef, Regenerative Design, a travelling exhibition being held at the Science Gallery Bengaluru till May 4.