REWOVEN — The Lion Project at Dutch Design Week

A discarded beer can has a surprisingly good second act. REWOVEN began with AOD exploring what aluminium could become, first sharing those experiments at Sri Lanka Design Festival. In response to a brief from Lion Nation Foundation, the project grew into a collaboration with Studio Noud Sleumer, local designers, makers and waste collectors.

Cans collected from Sri Lanka’s beaches were cleaned, cut and woven by hand into objects such as coasters. The process was designed around the people who could carry it forward. Collectors and makers could work close to where the cans were found, using hand-weaving techniques to create products that could be sold locally. That gave more of the material’s value a chance to stay in coastal communities.

The coaster made that idea tangible. It was small enough to make close to the beach and practical enough to sell directly to visitors. The team also used workshops and open production guides to share the process, giving local makers a way to repeat it and adapt it for themselves.

With support from the Embassy of the Netherlands in Sri Lanka, REWOVEN reached Dutch Design Week 2026. The installation brought the journey into focus through framed aluminium weavings, finished objects and a short film.