Craft and education impact on Sri Lanka’s creative economy

Festival Patron/former Vogue India Editor/Lifestyle Journalist and Sustainability Advocate Bandana Tewari	The Future Laboratory Co-founder Chris Sanderson	AOD/SLDF Chairperson Linda Speldewinde

The Future Laboratory Co-founder Martin Raymond	Oshadi Collection Founder Nishanth Chopra	Luxury Segment Brand and Communication Strategist Priti Mahajan

OCAD University Associate Professor of Social Innovation Design Sarah Tranum	Estethica Creating Agency Director and Central Saint Martins Pathway Leader for BA Fashion Tamsin Blanchard

• Fresh insights to unfold at SLDF 2024 Craft Leadership Forum 

South Asia, with countries like Sri Lanka and India with millennia-old craft heritages, is celebrated as a region heavy with cultural richness. However, the economic potential of these crafts and their associated creative cultures remain largely untapped. Their potential as a resource in contemporary design, and their ability to imbue stories, cultural significance and emotional value into products is yet to be fully and strategically utilised. The time has come to change that narrative.

Over the past two decades, the Academy of Design has been reimagining Sri Lanka’s potential in craft by blending its rich tradition of craftsmanship and the newly honed strengths in design and sustainable manufacturing, is ready to facilitate this transformation to craft a distinctive South Asian aesthetic. Positioned as an emerging creative hub for South Asia, Sri Lanka is now gearing up to lead regional conversations in merging cultural heritage with contemporary design practices. The South Asian Craft Leadership Forum, held as part of the Sri Lanka Design Festival 2024, with regional economic power India as a partner nation, sets out to champion this new direction.

A powerful merger of craft, education and the reative industries

Under the theme ‘Craft, Education and the Creative Industries’, the forum explores how craft-enriched design can break into the global market and highlights the pilot work of the Academy of Design (AOD) in combining design, education, and research with local artisans’ traditional knowledge base. Drawing parallels to the Industrie Africa movement, which propelled African craftsmanship into global consciousness, AOD and SLDF Founder and Chairperson Linda Speldewinde commented on SLDF’s 10-year plan, “AOD’s unique pedagogy and focus took a lead in shaping a new Sri Lankan design identity, and our vision is to collaborate with regional partners to forge a distinctive South Asian aesthetic, one that seamlessly blends heritage with modernity, shaping a globally relevant and uniquely compelling narrative.” This reimagined cultural identity is not merely a tribute to tradition, but a forward-thinking blend of sustainability, contemporary design, and craftsmanship, offering fresh perspectives to a global audience.

Forging a new future at the intersection of tradition and innovation

The South Asian Craft Leadership Forum dives into the transformative forces reshaping the craft and design landscapes, with key thought leaders exploring how tradition can meet modern innovation to drive economic growth. In ‘Craft recrafted: The impact of AI on creativity and design’, the world’s leading trend forecasters The Future Laboratory co-founders Martin Raymond and Chris Sanderson, highlight how AI is revolutionising craft. This segment unpacks how emerging technologies challenge and enhance the creative process for artisans as much as designers, offering new pathways to their processes and ways in which creators can innovate while preserving cultural heritage.

Festival patron and Vogue India former editor-at-large Bandana Tewari will present the keynote address ‘Craft Diplomacy, Cultural Sustainability and the Power of Storytelling’ exploring the role of storytelling in preserving artisanal legacies. Rooted in Gandhian principles of simplicity, non-violence, and self-reliance, Tewari brings to light how craft can be a powerful tool for cultural diplomacy and sustainability in a globalised, increasingly homogenous world. By connecting the past with the present, her discussion emphasises how sustainable design practices and ethical production methods of traditional crafts can reshape the future of products and consumerism while celebrating this timeless core identity of traditional techniques as a lesson for our current reality. 

Maintaining the sustainable integrity of the craft supply chain 

The South Asian Craft Leadership Forum lends a profound exploration of how craft can transform industries and communities while maintaining its core sustainable values, from the supply chain up. In the session ‘From Seed to Sew: A Regenerative Approach to Fashion’, Estethica Creating Agency Director and Central Saint Martins Pathway Leader for BA Fashion Journalism Tamsin Blanchard, engages with Oshadi Collective Founder Nishanth Chopra. Chopra’s journey, from cultivating a modest five-acre regenerative cotton farm to building a 250-acre ecosystem, illustrates a transparent and equitable supply chain. This discussion sheds light on the challenges and triumphs of creating a brand rooted in regenerative principles, offering attendees practical insights into the intersection of sustainability, agriculture, and fashion.

The intersection of education, craftsmanship, and entrepreneurship offers a powerful platform for driving social change, as seen in the work of OCAD University Associate Professor of Social Innovation Design Sarah Tranum. By blending design with business principles, this approach empowers creators to not only develop aesthetically innovative products but also to embed social impact within their ventures. Tranum’s focus highlights how education can equip designers with the tools to harness craftsmanship and entrepreneurial strategies for sustainable solutions, creating pathways for economic empowerment and community transformation. The forum also brings forward a distinctly Sri Lankan perspective in ‘Craft as the Great Enabler’, where AOD/SLDF Founder Linda Speldewinde discusses about how Sri Lankan craft can empower communities and bolster economic resilience, using over a decade of work as an example that can set the pace for the South Asian region. By integrating heritage with modern innovation, crafts can serve as a key driver for both export markets and tourism, positioning Sri Lanka as a hub for creative industries while preserving its cultural essence — a tried and tested model for the South Asian region.

Bespoke luxury advisor, cultural enthusiast, and craft custodian Priti Mahajan, draws inspiration from her global travels and deep appreciation for the arts to explore the rise of the Modern Maker. This emerging movement champions the balance between preserving traditional craftsmanship and embracing innovation. Through captivating stories from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, Priti highlights the growing trend of slow design, handmade creations, and small-batch production, where the provenance is as revered as the finished product. This fusion of artisanal heritage with contemporary design and technology is giving rise to limited-edition crafts that are increasingly celebrated as art by galleries and collectors worldwide.

The forum will also feature experiences of celebrated Indian designers and award winning Sri Lankan designers sharing their journeys in creating a modern aesthetic by reimagining traditional crafts. 

A must-attend forum for designers and entrepreneurs working with craft-related SMEs

With the realms of design and craft set to merge more than ever before, the South Asian Craft Leadership Forum serves as an indispensable resource for designers and entrepreneurs working with traditional crafts or those within craft SMEs. This forum offers critical insights into new technologies, sustainability, and market dynamics, making it ideal for teams to enhance their skills and knowledge. With panel discussions between leading Sri Lankan designers and educators, networking opportunities, and insights into global trends, this event is a valuable investment in your team’s education, empowering them to stay ahead in a rapidly shifting landscape. It’s a critical touch point offering attendees insights to harness the potential of a vastly underutilised sector that holds the potential to transform creative economies from the ground up.

The forum will be held at Cinnamon Life City of Dreams, Sunday 10 November, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. as part of Sri Lanka Design Festival. Tickets are now available; for more information and to purchase, visit www.srilankadesignfestival.lk or contact [email protected].