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Image above: Brooche by Li Qiwei
Craft and crafting fosters creativity, one of the 21st century’s most essential skills for innovation. The conference, Transformation: Effect and Affect of Craft in Society, happened the 26th – 27th October at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway and 1. November as a webinar. Craft and crafting fosters creativity, one of the 21st century’s most essential skills for innovation. The conference, Transformation: Effect and Affect of Craft in Society, raises awareness of the role of craft in society in the broadest sense. There are 35 presenters at the conference, who come from all over Europe. The presenters provide perspectives on the many roles of craft and the making disciplines in society, and the presentations are each connected to one of the three themes: Exploring craft heritage, Aesthetics of materiality, and Technology and craft. Among the topics, the effect that craft can have on people in our digital age is demonstrated, for example, how to be creative with new technology and how to utilize interaction between analogue and digital tools and processes. Other topics in the conference are how craft and crafting contribute to engagement and knowledge about sustainable issues by utilizing and upcycling materials in new ways, highlighting aesthetic values, and sharing creative perspectives on social interaction through material culture. The conference allows practitioners and curators to share experiences, skills, and perspectives on craft for a broad audience. There will also be possibilities to discuss the potential for the future development of the project Craft Hub, for example, through education or the EU plan of New European Bauhaus to raise awareness of the role of craft in society in the broadest sense.
There were 35 presenters at the conference, who came from all over Europe. The presenters provided perspectives on the many roles of craft and the making disciplines in society, and the presentations were each connected to one of the three themes: Exploring craft heritage, Aesthetics of materiality, and Technology and craft. Among the topics, the effect and effect that craft can have on people in our digital age was demonstrated, for example, how to be creative with new technology and how to utilize interaction between analogue and digital tools and processes. Other topics in the conference were how craft and crafting contribute to engagement and knowledge about sustainable issues by utilizing and upcycling materials in new ways, highlighting aesthetic values, and sharing creative perspectives on social interaction through material culture. The conference allowed practitioners and curators to share experiences, skills, and perspectives on craft for a broad audience. There were also possibilities to discuss the potential for the future development of the project Craft Hub, for example, through education or the EU plan of New European Bauhaus.
By Astrid Heimer