Voces de la artesanía: leer en Español
British Council, REDIT and Craft Revival Trust announce the launch of "Artisan Voices: Dialogues for sustainable practices", a book focused on artisans as bearers of an ancestral cultural heritage.
This initiative is part of Crafting Futures, the British Council's global programme that celebrates the value of craft in our history, culture and today's world.
The collaborative work between artisan communities and other disciplines is often a challenging scenario. In order to explore possible sustainable futures at these crossroads, the book brings together craft and design professionals and organizations from Argentina, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The resulting dialogue underlines the universal values inherent in intercultural processes beneficial to all parties. Artisans keep knowledge alive and ensure its safeguard by transmitting it from one generation to another. Listening and responding to their voices translates into cultural richness and the development of healthier bonds.
"Artisans Voices: Dialogues for sustainable practices" is organized into two sections. The first refers to the ethical practices that are essential for the relationship between the craftsmanship and the world in general: Respect, Recognition, Consent, Attribution, Shared Benefits, Protection and Active Listening. The second section highlights some aspects of the craft ecosystem that have an impact on its practices: Cultural Institutions, Transmission and Education, Tourism, Technology and Co-creation.
The book was based on a research that was carried out in Argentina between 2019 and 2021. The survey, which gathered the experiences and views of those who are part of the network of collaborative processes of knowledge creation and exchange, reached more than 570 people. This studio was devised in association with Rachel Kelly (Manchester School of Art), REDIT (Federal Interuniversity Network for Fashion and Textile Design of Argentina), with advice from the Craft Revival Trust of India. The information collected and the work methodology can be consulted in the report entitled "Crafting Futures: Exploration of the craft ecosystem in Argentina" (available in Spanish). Over the course of 2021, the research expanded to South Asia thanks to the global reach of the British Council's Crafting Futures programme.
Artisans Voices: Dialogues for sustainable practices" is a publication distributed for free, available to be downloaded online in English and Spanish.
LAUNCH
Within the framework of the global presentation of the publication, we produced an online discussion with the participation of the Argentinean artisans Celeste Valero (Tejedores Andinos) and Luna Anabel del Valle (Thañí), Indian artisan Shenaz Banu, Ritu Sethi (Craft Revival Trust), Carry Somers (Fashion Revolution), Alejandra Mizrahi (REDIT) and Sol Marinucci (Crafting Futures Argentina).
Fashion Revolution, the global movement founded by Carry Somers and Orsola de Castro, added its communication platforms as strategic support to the initiative to amplify the reach of Artisans voices.
You can watch the panel here.