How can learning, business innovation and digital technologies help strengthen the future of craft while preserving the knowledge, identity and creativity that make craft practices unique?
The Tracks4Crafts Living Labs will bring craftspeople, educators, makers, researchers, cultural practitioners, organisations and other stakeholders together to explore exactly these questions.
Registration is now open for three interactive online Living Labs taking place in October, and we warmly encourage members of the wider craft, education, cultural and creative communities to take part.
Developed within the Tracks4Crafts project, the Living Labs provide an opportunity for potential future users to experience, discuss and validate some of the project's key results before they are taken further into practice.
Participants can register for one, two or all three sessions.
Your experience can help shape the results
The Living Labs are not simply presentations of project results. They are designed as participatory spaces for testing, reflection and dialogue.
Participants will be invited to explore three important Tracks4Crafts outputs:
learning units and the Train-the-Trainer programme;
business model innovation roadmaps for craft practitioners; and
a framework exploring the roles of digital technologies within the craft ecosystem.
By participating, stakeholders will help the Tracks4Crafts partnership assess the clarity, relevance, usefulness and practical value of these resources in real craft, learning and professional contexts.
Your perspective can therefore directly contribute to ensuring that the project's outputs respond to the needs and realities of the communities they are intended to support.
Living Lab 1 — A connected learning journey across five dimensions of contemporary craft practice
1 October | 09:00–12:00 | Online
The first Living Lab will explore a flexible learning framework developed to support craftspeople, educators, makers and cultural practitioners in navigating some of the key dimensions shaping contemporary craft practice.
Participants will discover and test the Tracks4Crafts Learning Units and Train-the-Trainer programme, covering five interconnected areas:
documenting and transmitting craft knowledge;
engaging with technologies;
sustainability;
collaboration; and
craft business.
The session will provide participants with an opportunity to examine the learning materials and reflect on how clearly and effectively they could be applied across different educational, professional and craft environments.
Pilot partners are especially encouraged to participate, as the Learning Units and Train-the-Trainer approach will play an important role in upcoming pilot activities. The Living Lab will provide an early opportunity to become familiar with the methodology and contribute feedback before future Train-the-Trainer activities are developed.
Living Lab 2 — Business model innovation for crafters
19 October | 09:00–12:00 | Online
How can craft practitioners strengthen the sustainability and resilience of their activities while remaining faithful to the essence of their craft?
The second Living Lab focuses on a Business Model Innovation roadmap for crafters.
During the interactive session, participants will explore approaches that can help craft practitioners rethink and strengthen their business models while maintaining the values, skills and traditions at the heart of their work.
Topics will include areas such as authentic storytelling, creative imagination and the balance between innovation and tradition.
Participants will be invited to respond to the roadmap as potential future users and help evaluate whether it provides clear, relevant and practical support for craft professionals seeking to adapt to changing economic and social environments.
Living Lab 3 — Beyond Tools: Exploring the Roles of Digital Technologies in the Craft Ecosystem
29 October | 09:00–12:00 | Online
Digital technologies are increasingly influencing how craft knowledge is preserved, transmitted, created, communicated and sustained. But their role in craft extends far beyond the adoption of individual digital tools.
The third Tracks4Crafts Living Lab invites craftspeople, researchers, educators, cultural organisations and other interested stakeholders to explore an empirical framework developed by the project that identifies ten key roles digital technologies can play within the craft ecosystem.
Through shared experiences and participatory discussion, the session will examine how technologies can contribute to areas such as:
knowledge transmission;
creativity;
collaboration;
communication;
economic viability; and
maker agency.
Rather than asking how technology can replace traditional practices, the session will focus on a more important question: how can digital technologies meaningfully enhance and support craft practice while respecting its human, cultural and material dimensions?
Participants' insights will help refine the framework and build a shared understanding of the relationship between craft practice and technological change.
Who should take part?
The Tracks4Crafts Living Labs are open to anyone with an interest in the present and future of craft, including craftspeople, makers, educators, trainers, researchers, cultural and creative professionals, heritage organisations, business support actors and other stakeholders working within or alongside craft ecosystems.
Whether you bring practical experience, educational expertise, research knowledge, business insight or simply a strong interest in the future of craft, your contribution is valuable.
Take part — and help us spread the word
Meaningful validation depends on hearing from a diverse community of people who understand craft from different perspectives.
We therefore encourage not only Tracks4Crafts partners and pilot representatives, but also craft networks, educational organisations, cultural institutions, maker communities and professional associations to share the Living Labs with their members and contacts.
If someone in your network could bring a valuable perspective to the discussion, please invite them to participate.
You can attend one, two or all three Living Labs. All sessions will take place online, with the Zoom link shared with registered participants ahead of the events.
REGISTER NOW FOR THE TRACKS4CRAFTS LIVING LABS
By joining the Tracks4Crafts Living Labs, you will not only discover new resources and approaches for the craft sector — you will help shape them.
We look forward to welcoming you to the conversation.