REGIO CRAFTS

An Interreg Europe project about the execution and development of crafts in Europe

Centuries-old crafts that characterise a country or an area can be found in many regions in Europe. These crafts are often important for the ​​local economy and tourism and they have social aspects as well.

Crafts disappear
Unfortunately, crafts are at risk of disappearing because craftsmen cannot compete with wholesalers in terms of pricing. Traditions and skills are also increasingly being passed on to new generations. In addition, traditionally made products are becoming increasingly difficult to market and consumers are less interested in crafts.

linking design and craft
Regio Crafts is an international project that is committed to the execution and development of crafts in Europe. It does this by linking design and craft. In this way, Regio Crafts wants to highlight the image, the economic situation and the importance of crafts.

Craft Design Pressure Cooker
House of Design was invited as a partner to involve designers in this project and the first ‘Craft Design Pressure Cooker’ was organised in Veenhuizen in December 2012. Designers and artisans from the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Latvia, Bulgaria and Greece were introduced to each other here. This first meeting in Veenhuizen was captured in the film Pressure Cooker: Crafts & Design within the project Regio-Crafts.

Ambacht as catalyst for innovation
House of Design invited TU Delft PHD Sarah Suib to jointly introduce a design method based on her research to use the values ​​of cultural heritage for modern story-telling.
This method has been converted into workshops and has been used in projects such as Craftsmanship 21st century (North NL), E3DU (Erasmus +) and Craft your Future (Erasmus +).