International project connecting the EU and Turkey
International project connecting the EU and Turkey
Turkey Design Council initiated the project, "From Ancient Anatolian Crafts to Contemporary Designs" which is financed by the European Union under the Grant Scheme for Common Cultural Heritage: Preservation and Dialogue between Türkiye and the EU-II (CCH-II), with the partners Brumen Foundation, Slovenia and Traditional Arts Association, Turkey.
Within this 15-month project from April 2021 to June 2022, five traditional Anatolian crafts were selected as ceramics (Iznik style), felt making, quilting, stone carving, and inlaying to be promoted in Europe.
Documentary films of five ancient crafts were prepared to create a video archive, where craftsman explains the ropes of craft, materials, and production techniques in their own workshop.
By watching these documentaries, designers from Europe will reinterpret ancient production traditions with their contemporary design approaches. 10 design proposals will be selected by a jury of experts.
Anatolian craftspeople and European designers will then collaborate in Turkey to bring to life new products, which will prepare the ground for knowledge transfer to future generations.
Within the scope of this project, it is aimed to spread the examples of ancient values combined with contemporary designs in Turkey and Europe, and to carry the Anatolian crafts at risk of disappearance into the future by means of intercultural cooperation.
