MADE IN: Download Future Legacies Book

The Future Legacies book brings together the outcomes of a vibrant and dynamic exchange of knowledge that took place over a two-year period. It is organised into three main chapters, each reflecting a key phase in the project’s development. At the heart of this work is the Knowledge Atlas, which represents the initial mapping of skills and expertise. Designed as a space for transdisciplinary inquiry and critical reflection, the Knowledge Atlas explores crafts at the intersection of nature and science. Anchored in the conceptual triad of Craft, Science and Nature, it is more than just a repository: it offers a detailed and nuanced cartography of interconnected practices across Europe, highlighting both local specificities and transregional connections. In her introductory essay, Milena Jokanović situates the Atlas within the long history of knowledge collection – from Renaissance cabinets of wonders to encyclopaedias and modern databases. Unlike earlier systems that focused on objects or classifications, the Atlas emphasises processes, immaterial heritage and human-environment relationships. This publication provides just a glimpse of the extensive documentation and expert interviews available on the project’s online platform – www.madein-platform.com.

The most extensive chapter presents the outcomes of the workshops, residencies and summer school that were held across all the countries of the consortium. The resulting products, prototypes, research and practices are organised into four thematic clusters: Craft Heritage Reinterpreted, Hybrid Environmental Practices, Natural Materials and Emerging Technologies, and Learning and Knowledge Transfer. Each cluster explores and opens new avenues for contemporary craft practices that integrate different kinds of knowledge and harness the benefits of skills sharing. The projects are framed by fundamental questions that highlight their relevance to the present and their significance for the future. They address themes such as bio-integrated approaches to construction and infrastructure, multispecies city-making, the role of intangible heritage in shaping contemporary practice, the coexistence of traditional craft and industrial/digital production methods and the necessity for collective practices, stimulative learning environments, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Together, these projects shed new light on craftsmanship as a living, evolving practice that is well-equipped to respond effectively to the pressing social and environmental challenges of our time.

Finally, the Perspectives chapter reflects on and conceptualises the MADE IN projects within the broader context of contemporary cultures of making, as examined in essays by selected authors. These contributions, chosen through an open call, explore the evolving role of craft in the 21st century. Alina Serban and Ronja Grossar highlight how craft can drive sustainable, cooperative and circular economies by combining traditional skills with innovative practices; Marija Đorđević emphasises the importance of the making process itself, beyond the final object; Philipp Deny, Ulrike Silz and Ina Turinsky of BurgLabs advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration that integrates science, crafts and local knowledge to develop sustainable, circular systems; and Lynn Harles explores how contemporary craft practices contribute to a shift away from human-centred worldviews toward more-than-human ecologies. Finally, Roxandra Lupu examines how sustainability is understood and expressed in both traditional and contemporary textile-making through gestures, materials and metaphors, framed not just culturally but also emotionally. The texts that have been brought together in this publication take the form of interviews, essays, descriptions and statements. By weaving together a wide range of voices, perspectives and forms of knowledge, the collection offers readers multiple ways of understanding the subject of craft and the evolving role of the designer.

The editorial board wishes to express its sincere gratitude to all the partners and participants in the MADE IN platform, as well as to all the contributors to this book, who have helped situate this two-year endeavour within the contemporary discourse on craft, design and cultural heritage. Without the support of the European Union’s Creative Europe programme, this important network of institutions, craftspeople, researchers and designers would not have come into being. MADE IN brings together Europe’s rich traditions and innovative spirit, fostering a dialogue between heritage and contemporaneity. We hope this initiative inspires readers and future generations to see craft not as something outdated or purely traditional, but as central to ecological thinking and cultural renewal – with the potential to drive meaningful change in our rapidly evolving world.