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Craft with a Voice

Craft embodies a lot to tell, despite the fact that craftsmen are most often quiet.  They would prefer, or we would expect them, to leave the talking to artists, or designers. Intellectuals create meanings, craftsmen make a living, that's our thinking. But what if one day, the sheer joy of making is no longer understood, and what we can make is no more than a choice between "like" and "add to cart"… is that cool? or are we fools?

The editor Daniel Charny have said in the exhibition "Power of Making" from V&A and Crafts Council: "Full knowledge cannot be transferred solely through the sharing of information; it must be kept alive and passed on through the experience of making." 

That's why we have initiated this project "Craft with a Voice", a series of workshops and exhibitions, in order to encourage our young generation to learn and appreciate local handicrafts. The young participants will learn from local craft masters and together create something new, after which a roving exhibitions will be held to share what these young makers would like to say for craft, and with craft. 

Making things affordable

Is our capacity to acquire what we desire determined by our resources? or by our fear? And if there's a society where people find even the most basic things not affordable, does that mean that there's a lack of resources? or merely an abundance of fear? If that's the case, could we overcome these with more sharing? or greater faith? and what could design do in the making of this new economy, where the faith of sharing would replace the tolerance of greed?

With these questions in mind, I have put together the things we've done lately in two Asian villages where Buddhism was once taught and learnt with great compassion. Both projects explored not simply craft and design, but also the relationship between maker, user, and giver. 

Fund raising is one thing I would like to make happen for the craftsmen and the kids there. Also worth making for us here, i believe, is freedom from our fear to give. And to address this concept of "affordability", all the handkerchiefs featured in the exhibition are open for your own price marking: meaning, you take what you can give. Or say, you give for the amount of change you'd like to make. Because half of the money you give will go back to the Badi Asha School in India to serve more students in need.