Conference Agenda

Rural craft practices represent a rich source of cultural heritage and traditional knowledge that is embedded in the lives and economies of rural communities. However, these craft practices, often face significant challenges. They are typically under-resourced, with many makers struggling to achieve a sustainable livelihood from their craft. This could lead to these craft skills disappearing due to a lack of inter-generational transmission. In addition, rural craft makers often work in isolated environments, which can impact their access to broader markets, or they may find it difficult to actively engage in collaborative endeavours and skill sharing. This precarious situation calls for innovative solutions and dedicated outreach initiatives. Proposed here, is the organisation of a rural craft workshop aimed at fostering access to and engagement with traditional rural crafts. The primary goals of this workshop are to revitalise these rural crafts, to facilitate the exchange and sharing of craft skills, and to stimulate discussions on effective strategies for promoting and safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of rural craft for future generations.  

Research question: 

In what ways can co-creation workshops contribute to the democratisation of participation in rural craft practices and the re-evaluation of value-creating practices within less-explored craft sectors?   

Objectives: 

• To examine co-creation workshops as a design research method for investigating the sustainability and future trajectories of rural craft practices, with particular attention to how embodied and material forms of making can generate and critically reflect on knowledge beyond textual formats. 
• To explore how co-crafting processes can contribute to the democratisation of access to rural craft knowledge, enabling participants from diverse disciplinary and cultural backgrounds to engage with and re-evaluate less-represented rural craft practices and their associated values. 
• To generate non-textual research outputs suitable for the DRS Digital Library, including craft artefacts and visuals or reflective materials that document how craft knowledge emerges through material engagement and co-creation, so that it can be shared and revisited by the wider design research community.