ARCH 672 - PROPOSITIONS
SUMMER 2024PROJECTS
Sami Darwish - Atelier 2050
Omar Shaikh - “Home” Coming
INDIA CRAFT FUTURES
India enjoys a deep, centuries-old connection with Craft. Historically, every Industrial Revolution has been mirrored by a parallel Crafts movement. This counterpoint is fuelled equally by Master Craftsmen, as well as the patronage systems that support them. Art Nouveau expressions, The Arts and Crafts and the American Craftsmen movement all created a rich counterpoint to profound societal shifts engendered by the Industrial revolutions. Once again we’re at the cusp of a massive technological revolution, with the rise of Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Machine Learning. How may we frame a counterpoint at this time of great flux? How may we deliberately and meaningfully align with the values espoused by Craft?
The India Craft Futures Studio will interrogate these inquiries within the Indian context, to speculate on ways that future hybridized modalities of making can inflect societal, ecological, and political change. India has a vast, deep, and extensive craft tradition that permeates everyday life. Craft is a distinct geographical signifier, within one of the most populous and culturally varied countries on the planet.
The India Craft Futures Studio will take a collaborative, speculative lens studying Crafts practices in Delhi, Jaipur, and Ahmedabad some of the most vibrant centres in India. We will then head to Goa, to assimilate, work hands-on and collaborate with visiting Craftspersons at our Studio and Research Lab. We will investigate how modern design approaches can interact, integrate and augment age-old Crafts practice to achieve new hybridized expressions.