Future-oriented heritage approach in Europe
Problem definition
- Crafts valued as heritage, but badly integrated in high-tech environments and product development (incl. because of cultural and emotional barriers among craftspeople)
- Potential of traditional craft knowledge (TCK) for inclusivity on the labour market and sustainable development untapped
Central question: How to safeguard and strengthen crafts while fostering their economic and societal valuation?
Output
- Training practices and learning formats in which TCK is (potentially) public and codified (e.g. thanks to digitisation) and compatible both with new technologies and future-oriented societal values
- Types of certification or credentials, in which the valorisation of TCK corresponds to both the needs of craftspeople (including economically) and broader societal needs
- Business models and legal protection tools (IP and professional classification) for both individual practitioners and TCK developed and transmitted in open- source and in commons contexts
- Networks in which interests and experiences of individual practitioners are linked to broader economic and societal challenges, including policy recommendations
Focus and Goal
Achieve an enhanced economic and societal valuation of crafts in line with a future-oriented approach of heritage in Europe through a focus on
- the valuation of TCK (reviving, valorizing and validating)
- The transmission of TCK (both in hi-tech environments and with the help of digital technologies)
Methods
- Interdisciplinary research (integrated with the help of the “convention theories”)
- Multi-stakeholder co-creation (involving researchers, practitioners and stakeholders, and ‘research through design’)
- Experimentation in different contexts and involving ‘action research’
The final aim of the experiments is to:
(a) analyse the barriers that hamper transmission of TCK in new ways
(b) create new shared ‘repertoires of evaluation’
(c) devise new formats, tools and instruments for overcoming the barriers
4 TRACKS
External Advisory Board
The External Advisory Board of the Tracks4Crafts project serves the purpose of providing critical feedback and guidance on project activities and outputs. Comprised of external experts in relevant fields, the board members are consulted as needed to contribute their expertise and insights to the project's development. Their primary aims are to offer valuable perspectives, assess the project's progress, and provide recommendations to ensure the project's success. The link to the Advisory Board will be provided soon.