MADE IN Platform for Contemporary Crafts and Design

WHAT

The MADE IN platform is an initiative that combines research, design, and heritage, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange between traditional artisans, contemporary designers, and other experts in the fields of culture and science. It addresses central issues related to preserving Europe's rich craft heritage and explores new ways of updating traditional craft knowledge and skills. At the same time, it examines how mutual learning and new approaches to contemporary artistic and design practices can establish new methods of diversification and meaning-making.
The goal is to highlight new ways of exploring materials and other design processes related to themes such as resource depletion and acquisition, as well as models of sustainable production.

WHY

The MADE IN platform is the result of a growing awareness of the key role that crafts play in creating and maintaining the identity of a place. Craftsmanship can significantly contribute to the transition to sustainable, innovative, circular production models, primarily based on the use of local resources and skills. In addition to guiding us towards alternative uses and the repair of existing products, craftsmanship promotes responsible consumption and creates a value system that transcends the ubiquitous global logic of mass production.

The MADE IN platform encompasses an increasing number of projects led by the new generation of designers and environmentalists who focus on various crafting cultures to establish sustainable production processes and material cycles based on an inclusive relationship with the natural environment. Artists, designers, and artisans involved will approach specific locations with a spatially-oriented approach, thinking about micro-contexts related to raw material acquisition and their regenerative potential, with special emphasis on soil, plants, and the sea. Thus, the project shifts its focus from human-centered to life, inspired by science and nature.

HOW

The MADE IN platform is designed as a series of complementary and interconnected activities aimed at highlighting the relevance of crafts as a connecting element between ecology and culture. The activities will focus on emphasizing the importance of contemporary design and artistic practices, innovative technologies, and interdisciplinary thinking in overcoming the perception of craftsmanship as something uninventive and outdated, and in positioning it at the heart of the ecological debate.

The activities include:

• Establishing a publicly accessible database on crafts, artisans, interdisciplinary knowledge, and natural resources important for craft and design.
• Knowledge transfer and collaboration through residencies, workshops, training sessions, and summer schools.
• Educational and discursive programs in the form of conferences, seminars, and events for stakeholders.
• Disseminating the project’s results through publications, a series of exhibitions, and a website – www.madein-platform.com.
  

WHO

The MADE IN platform for contemporary crafts and design is a direct continuation of the earlier project MADE IN: Narratives of Craft and Design, which took place between 2018 and 2021 with financial support from the CREA program. It involved six partner organizations from four countries: Museum of Arts and Crafts and Oaza (Croatia), Museum of Architecture and Design (Slovenia), Nova Iskra and Mikser (Serbia), and Werkraum Bregenzerwald (Austria). This smaller project was the first to put artisans from the region on the map and facilitated knowledge exchange between them and designers. Its results opened up current questions about the development of craft and design and the challenges faced by these fields today.
The MADE IN Platform for Contemporary Crafts and Design is based on the results of its predecessor, but expands its scope both geographically and in terms of goals and mission. Currently, ten partner organizations from six countries form a consortium with a broad range of expertise: Museum of Architecture and Design – MAO (Ljubljana, Slovenia) (Coordinator), Center Rog (Ljubljana, Slovenia), City Museum of Zenica – MGZ (Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Drugo More (Rijeka, Croatia), Museum of Decorative Arts, part of the State Art Collections of the City of Dresden – SKD (Dresden, Germany), Museum of Arts and Crafts – MUO (Zagreb, Croatia), Oaza (Zagreb, Croatia), Creative Hub Nova Iskra (Belgrade, Serbia), Passa ao Futuro – PAF (Lisbon, Portugal), University of Applied Sciences Zwickau – WHZ (Schneeberg, Germany)

The platform will involve over 1,000 artisans, designers, researchers, cultural and scientific workers, and members of the wider public who will participate in various project activities.

The MADE IN platform is co-financed by the European Union (under the Creative Europe program).

You can follow the platform online:
www.madein-platform.com
hello@madein-platform.com
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