Traditional crafts for the future: a new approach

Traditional artefacts and the old crafts techniques are a significant part of our cultural heritage and arts. They showcase the interpenetrating relationship between material culture and human beings producing or consuming it. Artefacts and traditional objects are cultural products as they store social, personal and cultural memory and knowledge, and they enable the articulation of self-identity in symbolic ways. The transmission and reproduction of traditional know-how is the “conditio sine qua non” for the safeguarding and valorising of these cultural products. Still, they need strong interaction with creation in order to strengthen their impact and attractiveness in society.

The goals of the manufacturing and crafts sector have changed over time. This puts at risk traditional crafts techniques, which are in danger of disappearing, and with them important knowledge and know-how of ancient techniques and materials to produce and restore historic artefacts.

Combining old crafts techniques with cutting-edge new technologies opens up new dimensions and opportunities for the preservation and restoration of cultural goods, as well as for new and high quality products and services on the market. For instance, it has been the case with the cooperation of the traditional north Italian fabrics manufacturing and the European high-end fashion industry.

Proposals under this topic should address these challenges by understanding the techniques of traditional artefacts encompassing the full range of materials (stone, ceramic, porcelain, metal, wood, fabric, paper/papyrus, etc.). R&I actions should aim at reproducing traditional artefacts, traditional techniques and know-how by combining them with new, digital and other cutting-edge technologies. R&I initiatives should identify new areas of application and markets for professions combining traditional crafts with cutting-edge technologies. They should develop methodologies to combine these two approaches while bringing together all stakeholders concerned to set up clusters covering proposals for professional training and platforms connecting, among others, researchers, craftspeople, enterprises and business innovators, in order to bring new products and services on the market. Actions should include proposals for curricula to train in these new technologies, combining traditional skills with new technologies and entrepreneurship to succeed on the market, including specific business plans. The participation of enterprises, SMEs and CCIs is strongly encouraged to ensure appropriate and economically sustainable use of the new products.