Craft innovation

Innovation is about finding a better way of doing something. Innovation can be viewed as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, in-articulated needs, or existing market needs. A definition consistent with these aspects would be the following: “An innovation is something original, new, and important in whatever field that breaks in to a market or society”. Craft innovation is all about bringing about innovation in the field of craft.

Why is craft innovation required?

The traditional craft practices in India are embedded with an inherent empirical knowledge. This knowledge encompasses not only the material understanding and skills of making but also holds a holistic and intuitive understanding of sustainability in the larger context. This understanding needs to be put to use for a purpose that will bring forth various crafts from the remotest corners of our country and make them contextual to the present day. This can be achieved through the process of craft innovation.

The intent is to bring innovation in Space Making Crafts (SMC), Surface Narrative Crafts (SNC) and Crafts related to interior architecture. Our country’s architectural heritage is full of such innovations concerning material usage and its application. The objective of DICRC has been to bring craft innovation in larger interior architectural applications today with collaborative co-creations between various peer groups.

How is craft innovation possible?

In order to achieve craft innovation, it is important that there is collaboration between craftspeople, designers, artists, technologists, entrepreneurs etc who will come together and develop the existent crafts in such a way that they can be contextualized to current needs. Collaboration can also take place with industries, organizations, small and medium enterprises, government associations etc. The craft is no longer seen as something that is ancient and primitive but something that is at par with modern day machine made products.

DICRC always indulges in the process of ‘Co-creation’ by bringing experts from field of Craft, Design, Architecture, Entrepreneurship, Industry, Marketing, and Government in order to promote the field of Craft, for Craft Innovation. The intention of Craft Innovation at DICRC is to develop “Innovation in Craft’ and ‘Innovation through Craft”.

‘Innovation in craft’ refers to bringing about innovation in craft in terms of product, material, system etc. Product intervention can be driven through intervention by designers, material innovation is achieved through material

technologists/experts’ intervention while system innovation in craft can be achieved through intervention by social organisations.

‘Innovation through craft’ essentially means using craft as a means to drive innovation. DICRC envisions broadening the scope of craft and developing it to enter into new and varied disciplines. When this happens, craft can act as a catalyst for innovation in other disciplines.

‘Innovation through craft’ can be achieved through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is an established route to innovation*. By working together, it is argued that professionals with different yet complementary backgrounds can create new ways of approaching problems and finding solutions. Increasingly sophisticated yet accessible online platforms have enabled both individuals and organisations to build teams around shared interests and issues, rather than conventional professional disciplines.

Craft should become part of the trend of collaborative practices, where craftspeople will collaborate with professionals from other disciplines. In this way, they can undertake a wide range of projects and roles in sectors including design, architecture, art, media - as well as across the creative industries. Increasingly sophisticated yet accessible online platforms have enabled both individuals and organisations to build collaborative teams around shared interests and issues, rather than conventional professional disciplines. Hence the use digital technologies can upgrade the value and position of craft and craft practices in India.

There have been examples of collaborations in the past that have produced extraordinary objects and raised public awareness of scientific concepts that show that craft has a different and underrecognised role – that of driving the development of new technologies and science and engineering based systems, products and services themselves. DICRC envisions to harness this potential of the craft sector.

Craft encompasses centuries of distilled wisdom, practices, aesthetics and evolving dynamics. This multi-layered nature of craft is the inspiration for developing this toolkit of innovation purposes. Craft innovation is a two way learning process, where the craftspeople as well as the others who are a part of it, learn more about the craft, its current situation and its future potentials.

The vision is to use knowledge and resources of fields like design, innovation and technology to contemporarize the craft for today’s context so that its livelihood and continuity is assured.