Local Cultures – Global Spaces
Abstract
‘Thinking Through Craft and the Digital Turn: Writing our Future (CDT)*’ is a recently funded three-year (2023-2026) transnational partnership development project aimed at investigating the profound economic, social, aesthetic, and methodological transformations that have taken place in the field of craft during and after the pandemic. Specifically targeting the relationship between craft and the now ubiquitous adaptation of digital tools, processes and networks, CDT seeks to better understand the ramifications of digital ascendancy and its impact on craft practices, pedagogies, skill acquisition and outcomes. To investigate a diverse range of conditions related to cross-cultural production, CDT involves partnerships from universities, craft organizations and independent makers situated in both the Global North (Canada, United Kingdom) and the Global South (Australia, Mexico, Brazil). In this initial project report, we fold a discussion of the frameworks of CDT together with an exploration of preconceived notions researchers from our team have held at the onset of the project. It is through this discussion that commonalities are shared, and a debate unfolds around the place of digitality inside craft and how it is perceived differently within contrasting geographic locations. By fostering a space for dialogue between a mix of craftspeople that exist outside of the physical restraints of place, whilst still acknowledging local cultures and paradigms, we begin to develop a platform to observe, discuss, and analyze how craft and digital universality now shapes a complex system of globalised production and knowledge exchange. *CDT is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Government of Canada.
Lynne Heller is a post-disciplinary artist, designer, educator and academic. Her interests encompass both material and virtual culture, specifically AR/VR performance, digital collage and sculptural installation. Heller completed her MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her PhD at University College Dublin, Ireland. Her research was practice-based, with a specialty in feminism and Digital Media Arts. She is an Adjunct Professor at OCAD University, co-director of the Data Materialization Studio, Affiliate Member of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto.
Niklavs Rubenis is a designer and maker interested in the intersection of craft, design, ethics, waste, and people with a specific focus on repair (objects, systems, communities). He has been involved with diverse projects spanning community, non-profit, commercial and cultural institutions, and has had work presented, exhibited and published nationally and internationally. Niklavs has a trade in cabinet making, and a PhD from the Australian National University. He is coordinator of design and coordinator of object + furniture at the School of Creative Arts and Media, University of Tasmania.
Rohan Nicol is a craftsman, designer, academic and curator. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Tasmania and Associate Head of School, Creative Arts and Media. His practice and research spans jewellery, silversmithing and design. He holds qualifications from the Australian National University and Charles Sturt University where he was awarded a PhD. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including the prestigious Bombay Sapphire Design Award as well as funding to conduct research from the Australia Council and Australian Universities.
Cynthia P. Villagómez Oviedo is Professor and Researcher at Guanajuato University in Mexico. She is the author of six books, book chapters, and articles about Art, Digital Art, Creativity, and Design. Since 2003 she is the editor of the magazine called Revista Interiorgrafico de la Division de Arquitectura, Arte y Diseño de la Universidad de Guanajuato. She is a Graphic Designer, has a Master’s degree in Creativity for Design (from the School of The National Institute of Fine Arts), and and a Ph.D. in Visual Arts and Intermedia (from Universidad Politecnica of Valencia, Spain).