Design and Craftsmanship for Cultural Heritage: the “Materialmente” project, an experience from Italy.

Materialmente research investigates how design and crafts, working together, can contribute to enhance the value of territorial cultural heritage, by redefining products languages and creating new channels of distribution. Materialmente is a research and didactic design operation, dedicated to promote the circuit of Piedmontese Royal Residences and the territory material culture through the creation of a museum merchandising collection, designed by students tutored by design researchers, and produced by local craftsmen. The research involves cultural heritage and crafts experts, several seminars and lessons, 150 tutored design university students and 30 crafts firms identified by a territorial crafts Consortium. This paper discusses the process of establishing collaboration between university and craftsmen through students, to find new ways to innovate crafts with a “bottom-up” approach. It explores the possible collaboration between design and crafts to provide a model for future experiences, to be shared among craftsmanship communities, cultural heritage, regions and universities.