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Manifesto —
Points of departure and points of arrival:
Vernacular crafts are contemporary.
The objects and utensils that are based on vernacular knowledge, replicating ancestral models and creating new ones, do not belong to nostalgic past, nor are they vernacular curiosities. These objects and utensils are the result of sustainable work in the here and now that embraces the most modern technologies, thus helping to form a response to the challenges of our times and to the discussions on the future.
The artisanal product is beautiful
because it is useful.
The decorative motifs and patterns have links to practical usefulness. The artisanal object add meaning to the user’s gestures, completing them with its ancestral quality. Everyday material culture is perfected in a use and consumption process based on respect for the environment, simplicity, comfort and natural beauty.
Traditional arts and crafts
are culturally relevant.
The time- (and usage-) honoured ways of making things contrast with the repeated automatic processes of mass production. Locally sourced products feature original solutions and visual codes that free us from the standardised aesthetics of global trends. The craft tradition, on the basis of repetition and longevity, embraces the mechanisms of innovation that are necessary to continue the development of the cultural landscape, as it responds to practical needs.
Situated practices re-establish the balance between territory, climate and identity.
Using manual work and natural materials, artisanal production adheres to nature’s biological cycles and contributes to a balance between human activity and the surrounding landscape. It is a production method that is in touch with the local geographic characteristics, is in harmony with the natural surroundings and the climate and respects the dignity of work.
Artisanal production is a critical activity.
Continuing to apply ancestral techniques and reproduce traditional forms is a concrete contribution to a future based on fair and responsible consumption. The artisanal ways of making things and the new products that emerge foment and amplify a critical approach to materialism and the values of contemporaneity. The confrontation between the deliberateness of biological processes and the intrinsic rapidity of the markets is thus replicated, and it is a confrontation that is palpable in our daily lives. For this reason, the traditional arts are essential both to the health of local and circular economies and to the global discussion on sustainability, consumption and well-being.
© 2022 The Home Project Design Studio + Práticas Situadas Association
