new directions in craft

PROJECT

matthijs vogels and i, along with nine other man and humanity master students from the eindhoven design academy collaborated in a project together with craftspeople in the area of kachchh, india, to contemporise the crafts.

crafts are an integral part of indian identity. these once commonly used crafted objects now struggle on the market in competition with mass-produced goods, therefore reducing sales and viability of the craft. this scenario also forces sons and daughters of craftsmen to take up menial jobs in the city rather than learn the craft, customarily passed on through the generations.

for a period of six weeks we lived and worked together with local craftsmen to share our culture, know-how and skills, in order to commonly develop alternative ways to maintain their rich, traditional crafts in a post industrial world. the results of this collaboration were exhibited in new delhi at the india international centre.

this project was done in association with eye, icco, the royal netherlands embassy, and local ngo's: dastkar (delhi) and khamir (kachchh).

download pdf for more detailed information about our project; the context, our approach, the process, the participants and the dowry bags we produced together.

working...

the exhibition...