29-01-2021
NOVA School of Science and Technology researchers are part of the "CRAFT: Activating Pedagogy for Ceramic Education Futures" project, which has been selected for a new Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership launched in response to the increasing loss of heritage skills in ceramics, one of the ancientest crafts in human history.
During three years, the involved institutions will map out the current state of ceramics training to gather the existing fragmented knowledge in the sector. The end result will be an innovative teaching training program in arts education, focused on developing innovative ways to transfer traditional skills and developing a solid repository of ceramic practices.
The Departments of Conservation and Restoration and Informatics, VICARTE and NOVA LINCS are the leaders of the intelectual output: European Mapping of Ceramic Knowledge, with the participation of Márcia Vilarigues, Susana Coentro, Armanda Rodrigues and Nuno Correia as team members. The aim is to develop a map where various typologies of skills are identified, followed by places where those skills exist and/or can be acquired, possible relations with the available materials and historical local traditions, and finally those we can share and teach.
VICARTE will map and interview the makers to track the relationship between tradition and innovation and reveal the movement of ideas, people and crafts related to working with ceramics.
NOVA LINCS will adopt digital technologies to store and access video, images, text, and 3D models that represent the artifacts and processes being mapped.
Academics and experts joining CRAFT affirm this Erasmus+ project will contribute to the preservation of invaluable knowledge and skills that are at risk of being lost, bringing these practices to broader audiences and learners to safeguard the future of pottery-making.
This collaborative project is led by Ceramic Design at Central Saint Martins at UAL, brings together higher education institutions from across Europe, including Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, NOVA University of Lisbon, Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin and Oslo National Academy of the Arts.
