Crafting a Sustainable Future: Empowering Indian Crafts in the Creative Industries

The project Crafting a Sustainable Future: Empowering Indian Crafts in the Creative Industries advances our current understanding and makes a substantial contribution to digital innovation in the modern creative landscape of Indian craft.

It focuses on the relationship between digital technologies and key elements of contemporary craftsmanship, including skills, tacit knowledge and materiality.

The project explores the integration of digital innovations into traditional craft processes, as well as craft processes into digital innovation, informing the development of inclusive strategies to address practical challenges and promote sustainability.

Building on previous work and expertise the project aims to design and establish an inclusive community of practice to co-develop the research in collaboration with artisans from the Jawaja community in India.

Jawaja craft is deeply rooted in the region’s rich cultural heritage. Through this collaboration, artisans gain knowledge in terms of new materials, designs, techniques, and forms to make the design market relevant while respecting the craft. As a result, the project seeks to infuse new, fresh ideas and innovative approaches to traditional craft.

The research aims to co-develop approaches for the preservation of traditional techniques, skills and knowledge, as well as strategies for the development of Indian craft industries that speak to the agendas of artisans themselves.

The research employs a mixed-method approach including practice-based research that results in artefacts created in collaboration between artisans and researchers. The team brings a wide network and substantial experience in disciplinary areas including material and visual culture, digital technologies, textile engineering, and organisational sociology.