Crafting Cultural Heritage

The making of artefacts is a core activity in society, the result of which contributes to the building up of our physical surroundings and material culture. Throughout history, craft skills have been highly appreciated and have often been seen as crucial component of a capable human. Despite this, the knowledge base that constitutes the actual making is often overlooked in research. In this session we want to discuss theories and methods of crafting that might benefit heritage studies approach to making. We welcome discussions on questions such as : What can we learn about things by learning about their making? How do different craft skills offer an understanding of its historical use? How can theoretical and methodological approaches be developed concerning the actual making? How can we study and understand craft as cultural heritage?