"Design was born out of craft..."

This piece is from the always ahead-of-the-curve Metropolis magazine (September 2006). I'm a big fan of the first line here... and the project described sounds outstanding. Kudos all around!

“ 'Design was born out of craft,' says Enrico Bressan, co-director of the Los Angeles–based manufacturer Artecnica. It’s a bond that the company has been reinvigorating with its Design with Conscience campaign, which puts high-profile international talents in touch with local craftspeople in developing countries.

"The project began in 2004, when Artecnica paired husband-and-wife team Tord Boontje and Emma Woffenden with glassmakers in Guatemala to produce the TranSglass collection of vases, cups, and jugs from recycled wine and beer bottles.

"Shortly afterward the company forged a collaboration with Hella Jongerius and Aid to Artisans in Peru. Jongerius’s four-piece collection, mixing black ceramics and pink beadwork (pictured above), was two years in the making and won an Editors Award at ICFF in May.

"Not content to rest on its laurels, Artecnica is already working on a new project through Aid to Artisans, connecting Stephen Burks with craftspeople in Peru and South Africa; the resulting collection will debut at the New York International Gift Fair in January.

"Ultimately the campaign is not just about creating products with an interesting backstory. 'We get a product we can be proud of,' Bressan says. 'But at the same time we have to create the economics where we can give back to the designers and to the craftspeople.' "

by Mason Currey for Metropolis

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Photo sourced here