Crafting Sustainable Futures

We co-develop innovative approaches that speak to the agendas of creative artisans.

Funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), this research project aims to make a substantial contribution to the modern creative landscape of crafts. From October 2024 until September 2026, the project brings together researchers, practitioners and artisans at the University of Brighton, University College London, University of Dundee, and the Artisans Alliance of Jawaja (AAJ) for weaving and leatherwork, as well as wider international networks of artisans.

The project makes a significant contribution to digital innovation in the contemporary craft landscape. It examines the relationship between digital technologies and key elements of craftsmanship, including skills, tacit knowledge, authenticity, identity and cultural heritage. By co-developing digital approaches within craft practices, the project has created artisan-centred strategies that keep artisans in control of their representation and link cultural continuity with economic sustainability.

The project has produced insights into how communities worldwide can use digital approaches, including digitisation and storytelling, to strengthen their creative practices, preserve their intangible heritage, and improve their opportunities in today’s creative landscape. Unlike digital innovations and platforms that prioritise either preservation or sales, the project’s knowledge and technologies, including the SustainableCrafting platform, support communities to digitise, narrate, and reinterpret their cultural practices while retaining ownership of their stories. This requires both infrastructure and skills: community-controlled platforms and locally led digital literacy. Ultimately, heritage fluency becomes creative capital, positioning communities to benefit where authenticity, provenance, and cultural storytelling are increasingly valued worldwide.

The communities which benefit from the research include artisans, makers, crafters and others who design and make products using intangible skills passed down through generations, as well as makers who adopt creative approaches in their practice.