Keynote Speakers and Workshop Leaders

Adlia Borges
Craft revitalisation as a change agent in Latin America
One of the most important facts in the Latin
American current design scene is the alliance
between designers and artisans. It is a collective,
large-scale, and widespread phenomenon.
It is also a recent occurrence: in the region, the
institutionalisation of design happened through a
rupture with the ancient wisdom manifest in our
material culture. The heritage of our artefacts
was completely disregarded and depreciated. A
deliberate desire of abolishing hand-made objects
in favour of machine-made objects followed a view
in which manual traditions were part of a backward
past, underdevelopment and poverty, which would
be left behind by a promising future, attainable
through machines. In the name of progress and Latin
Americas desired inclusion in the hall of developed
nations, it would be better to bury these empirical
practices and replace them with purely rational
principles Science, Technique and Methodology.
In Brazil, the seminal moment for this happened
in 1963, with the creation of the Escola Superior
de Desenho Industrial (ESDI Superior School of
Industrial Design) in Rio de Janeiro, one of the first
Latin American university courses. Its curriculum was
entirely based on that of the Ulm School of Design
Hochschule fr Gestaltung Ulm, in Germany, that
professed ideas of good form or good design, which
should be expressed in an international language.
If form follows function, it is not necessary to pay
attention to local cultures as, once an adequate
form is reached, it can be repeated forever
and independently of time and place. A good
international form was considered as the only valid
aesthetic for a rational serial production, typical
of large manufactures, which emerging Brazilian
designers would supposedly demand.
It was believed that industrialisation would kill craft.
The advancement of modern industry would be
inexorable and, little by little, make pre-industrial
production disappear. To defend craft, in this
scenario, would be a mere reaction of people going
against the flow of history, hostile to humanitys

development. In short, a nostalgic backward view

that would be buried by world progress. The noncritical adhesion to a functional language became
a prevailing force in the instruction and practice
of our design. Design schools also prepared their
students for a serial production market, typical
of large manufactures in developed countries.
As industrialisation in the region was still in
its early stages, the consequence was the
stagnation of design and the lack of a job
market for young graduates.
On the other hand, our craft tradition was pulverised,
spread over rural areas of poor regions, losing people
and suffering from an accentuated loss of cultural
significance. The rich traditions of manual production
were suffering due to competition with industrial
products imported from China, and the artisans
began to repeat the industrial forms and/or to adopt
stereotypes in production. In many places the same
motifs could be seen: scenes of snow or fluffy polar
bears, berries and other delicacies exclusive to the
Northern hemisphere which appeared on a variety of
artisanal products.
Before continuing, it is important to make clear what
the craft is that we are talking about. In Northern
countries, craft techniques are learned in university
courses and are practised by educated people
who see in this activity a form of self-expression
which brings them closer to art than to design. In
Latin America, it is an activity disseminated mainly
throughout countryside areas, but also favelas and
fringe areas in the cities, where the artisans make
objects collectively as a way of coping with adverse
conditions. These objects can be reproduced in series
and are conceived within premises usually attributed
to design, such as to fulfil a functional requirement
and to employ specific materials. The production
techniques have been transmitted through
generations by elder members of a community, not
learned at school.

Adlia Borges | Making Futures Journal Vol 3 ISSN 2042-1664

Different paths of coming together

In the 1980s, in many countries such as Colombia,
Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil
designers started a movement towards the
countryside, seeking a revitalisation of craft.
There is neither standard procedure nor a readymade recipe for this revitalisation and it could not
be otherwise, as different situations call for different
responses. But certain paths have been followed during
this development. We can mention initiatives for:
Improvement of working conditions for artisans;
Improvement of technical conditions of the
product and of standards of quality;
Making use of the potential of local materials;
Developing graphic and packaging design for
artisanal products;
And an important point initiatives which
anchor the formal references of the objects in
local cultural traditions.

Sustainable development
In workshops held in communities throughout
the region, a new stage of the craft emerged.
Initiatives marked by entrepreneurism and social
innovation brought a new push to sustainable local
development. In the words of Australian curator and
researcher Kevin Murray, a privileged observer of the
craft scene in the Southern hemisphere, a truly silent
(r)evolution began in Latin America.

from the Amazon; fish skin, a pretty interesting new

material; and dry leaves.
In Latin America there is also a great tradition
in the use of recycled materials, well before the
word ecology was incorporated in the agenda of
governments and business people. Due to poverty,
recycling has always been part of the behaviour of
our societies. In the workshops, we see the use of
many materials that come from recycling, such as
plastic bottles, cardboard from transportation boxes
or fabric strips that remain as waste from machine
cuts in textile industries.
Concerning the economic dimension of sustainable
development, craft intensively absorbs the work force
and generates better income, particularly in the lower
classes. As Indrasen Vencatachellum, who worked for
UNESCO for many years, warns, the effect of craft in
generating jobs and resources is much more strategic
than one may imagine, due to the multiple effects
of the sales of these products. We must include in
the accounts of craft all the people who take part in
the elaboration of raw materials and the necessary
equipment for the making of the pieces, in addition
to those who transport the objects and those who
distribute, sell or export them.
In Brazil, some surveys have found that participation
in the Entrepreneurs Qualification Programs have
produced an increase in the average income of
individual artisans of between 50 and 300 per cent.

Considering the environmental dimension, the

practices of artisans are, historically, connected
to the use of local materials. Because the distance
between gathering raw materials and their
transformation is short, little energy is required for
transportation of supplies and the finished products.

Social transformation caused by those programmes

is very important as well. When visiting communities
in some regions in Brazil, I have heard moving
testimonies. I have heard the artisans say: I have
more confidence in myself and in my life now,
my mind has changed, I am not as ashamed as I
was before. Designers and managers who spend
time with the artisans say that many of them were
ashamed to talk in front of an educated person.
Today, they look up, talk confidently and lead
meetings. They feel much more their own bosses,
they stand more firmly on the ground. Illiterate
or functionally illiterate people suddenly become
stars of History with a capital H; they appear in
newspapers, they give talks.

In a country with a great vegetal biodiversity such

as Brazil, it is interesting to see how artisans are
constantly innovating in the use of natural materials.
Among the materials present in recent experiences
are golden grass, a very beautiful kind of grass that
only occurs in one region of the country; rubber

In many communities, houses were built or renovated

to function as headquarters for associations. This way,
artisans are able to alternate part of the day at home and
part of the day at association facilities, where they talk
about various subjects and have access to information
that they would not have if they were isolated in their

It is important to keep in mind that artisanal

production is in tune with recent ideas of sustainable
development, which embraces concepts of
environmental responsibility, economic inclusion,
social justice and cultural diversity.

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homes, such as talks on health and hygiene that may be

offered. Meetings also prompt artisans to organise on
other issues, such as collaboration to drill a well in order
to have drinking water.
Big cities are no longer the only path for a better life.
Programmes of craft requalification have allowed
people to stay in their hometowns or areas of origin
and achieve a quality of life which, before, they could
only reach by moving to a larger city. The interruption
of migratory flows and in some cases even its
reversion has been happening in many cases.
Cultural diversity has been recently pointed out as the
fourth pillar of sustainable development. Concerning
this issue, we observe that, together with food, craft
is one of the most important means of representation
of a peoples identity. Through craft, not only are
materials and techniques powerfully represented
but also collective values. They express singularity.
Even nearby villages have unique characteristics. This
singularity is totally connected with the agricultural
and culinary traditions of each place.
Projects that work with local cultural identities make
artisans proud of their origins and everyday lives.
They enhance their notion of belonging. They work
as what Brazilian designer Ronaldo Fraga calls a
mechanism of cultural appropriation of the place
where they live. The changes increase their selfesteem and affect families, husbands, children, social
groups and neighbourhoods.

Delicate relationships
The alliance between designers and artisans is,
undoubtedly, a crucial phenomenon due to the social
and economic impact it generates and its cultural
meaning. It is widening the reach of many Southern
hemisphere countries artisanal objects. However,
there have also been many detrimental experiences,
showing lack of real respect for local cultures, work
without continuity, and unequal exchanges.
One thing that has taken place is visits by teams to
communities, taking with them ready-made projects,
sometimes even prototypes, so the artisans end up
elaborating with their own hands something that
others have created. It doesnt allow a real dialogue,
since the designers are seen as providers of brains
and the artisans as suppliers of hands. There may
be situations where a designer or a company
will ask for nothing more than labour from
the artisans. There is no problem with this, as
long as it is clear what is being requested and

payment is properly carried out, rather than

referring to the projects as social design.
The German designer, professor, and design
theoretician Gui Bonsiepe, who lives in Latin
America, alerts us to what he calls the productivity
approach within the theme of craft and design,
which considers artisans as qualified and cheap
labour, utilizing their ability to produce objects
developed and signed by designers and artists.
According to Bonsiepe,
a great deal of naivety is necessary to accept
this approach, presented as an aid for artisans
in peripheries. They use humanitarian interests
as excuses to produce designs inspired by the
local folk culture or designs brought directly
from the center in order to take advantage of
cheap labor in those communities. This practice
in design tends to continue dependency
relationships instead of contributing to their
eradication. (Bonsieppe, 2011: 63)1
The American journalist Bruce Nussbaum, former
design editor at Business Week magazine, wrote a
provocative article for Fast Company magazine about
this topic, entitled: Is Humanitarian Design the New
Imperialism? Does Our Desire to Help Do More Harm
than Good? In his words,
should we take a moment, now that the movement
is gathering speed, to ask whether or not American
and European designers are collaborating with the
right partners, learning from the best local people,
and being as sensitive as they might be to the colonial
legacies of the countries where they want to do good.
In addition, he asks, might Indian, Brazilian
and African designers have important design
lessons to teach Western designers?2
Two years earlier, English author John Thackara
presented his view: The most powerful lesson
for me, after twenty years working as a visitor on
projects in India and South Asia, is that we have more
to learn from smart poor people regarding things like
ecology, connectivity, devices and infrastructures,
than they have to learn from us.3
The relationship between artisans and designers is
a delicate one, and the same goes for relationships
between each of them and project managers.
Technicians of financing and incentive programmes
usually wish to obtain, in the shortest time possible,
the most expressive results possible. Designers and
Adlia Borges | Making Futures Journal Vol 3 ISSN 2042-1664

artisans counter the argument, saying that many

managers, even though they mean well, often come
with an official point of view; they are insensitive to
the nuances of each different place and are more
concerned with fat figures they can write down on
their reports than with qualitative changes.
Oswaldo Salerno, of Museo Del Barro (Museum of
Clay) in Assuncion, Paraguay, says that the InterAmerican Bank launched a problematic programme
to improve artisanal pottery production in Paraguay.
The tradition of Guarani pottery is to bake
the pieces in an open fire. They came and
introduced ovens, which were sold to the
artisans through loans. The oven changed
resulting colors, changed the process.
Furthermore, those changes did not open
new markets; the artisans had great
trouble to pay the loans. Before introducing
resources, it is necessary to research cultural
and historic meanings of a given production.
Mistakes have the power to teach lessons. It
is better to leave craft alone rather than make
careless, pretentious interventions. The effects of an
inappropriate intervention can be highly damaging.
The more traditional craft techniques are, the less
the designer must interfere in this aspect. The older
the tradition, and the further away from civilisation
the community where it is done, the higher the
danger and the greater the care needed. An action
cannot be isolated; otherwise, when it ends, it leaves
no positive results in the communities but instead
creates enormous expectations which are almost
always frustrated. Some people must stay where
they are in order to systematically continue the work.
Outside consultants may unleash the process, but its
continuation must be anchored in local bonds.
We must reflect on these bad experiences and
learn from them. What are the key factors that
allow an action to be continuous? What kind of
relationship must be established between designers,
communities and programme managers? What kinds
of interferences are beneficial? How do we best
deal with local knowledge repertoires? How do we
identify existing abilities? How do we develop work
that resonates deeply in the artisans lives? These are
a few questions that must be urgently discussed
otherwise, harmful programmes may be set up.

A promising activity
Apart from these problems, the revival of crafts has
proved very promising in Latin America. There may
be no more significant indication of the success of
Brazilian craft re-qualification programs than the
existence of young artisans. Until a few years ago,
the artisans wished better fates for their children,
while many traditions passed from generation to
generation were suddenly in danger of interruption.
Today, in many places, we see teenagers and youth
taking part in craft, and not only girls and young
women, but also boys and young men, which is a
novelty in this scenario.
The prognosis of the extinction of crafts has not been
confirmed. In Latin America and elsewhere, there are
many clues to the contrary, indicating that the place
of craft in our society is expanding. This growth is
not merely based on the ability these objects have to
fulfil their functions, but on their symbolic dimension.
In this renewed signification, what matters is the
ability an object has to bring to their users values
that have only been recently acknowledged, such as
human warmth, uniqueness and belonging.
Instead of the uniformity and standardisation
of industrial products, craft products are never
identical. They possess the beauty of imperfection.
They age with dignity, able to remain valuable to us
for our whole lives. They tell us about a precise place
where they were made by concrete people. They are
honest and dependable. They convey culture and
memory. Because of all these things, they can touch
and the use of the verb touch is not fortuitous our
hearts, our souls.
In conclusion, in Latin America craft has proven to be
a crucial change maker. As an activity that preserves
the environment, expresses cultural identities and
leads to the improvement of life quality for the people
who produce and consume it, it is an important tool
for achieving a kind of progress that really matters in
the contemporary world.

Notes
1. Bonsiepe, G. (2011) Design, Cultura e Sociedade.
So Paulo: Blucher. ISBN 978-85-212-0532-6
10-12482, CDD-745.2. In his book, Bonsiepe says
that the theme of craft and design can be studied
through the following perspectives, which can
appear in pure or mixed forms: a conservative
focus, nationalization-inclined, productivityinclined, culturally-inclined, or essentialist,
paternalist and focused on promoting innovation.
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2. Nussbaum, B. (2010) Is Humanitarian Design

the New Imperialism? Does Our Desire to Help
Do More Harm than Good? Fast Company, 7
July. Available at: http://www.fastcodesign.
com/1661859/is-humanitarian-design-the-newimperialism.
3. Thackara, J. (2008) We Are All Emerging
Economies Now. Design Observer, 5 June.
Available at: http://observatory.designobserver.
com/entry.html?entry=6947. Thackara came
back to the theme several times, for instance
in: Humanitarian Design vs. Design Imperialism:
Debate Summary. ChangeObserver, 16 July
2010. Available at: http://changeobserver.
designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=14498.
This text is based on the book Design + Craft:
The Brazilian Path, by Adlia Borges, Terceiro Nome
Publishers, 2011.

Adlia Borges | Making Futures Journal Vol 3 ISSN 2042-1664