Farmers’ Gold (Productive Preservation of Straw Craft) explores the relation between craft and design and unite local tradition and culture into contemporary practice. Challenging traditional distinctions between design and craft, it is an investigation into the preservation of a marginalized cultural heritage.
Today straw craft is one most challenged crafts in the Nordic countries. Due to high production costs commercial straw craft is mainly outsourced into countries where hand labour is cheaper. As a result skills and knowledge are rapidly disappearing. But straw has many advantages. It grows locally and it is widely available, it is cheap as a material and there are multiple ways to use it. Moreover it is environmentally friendly. It is thus worth to explore what the material and the craft could mean today.
Farmer’s Gold will be organized in the form of a workshop in which Swedish and international designers work together with local straw craft persons. By exchanging expertise, ideas and techniques, they will develop new products that can challenge the current effect of the global market economy. The workshop will take place in Dalsland, the center of Swedish straw craft. It is organized in collaboration with partner institutions Halmens Hus (Bengtsfors), the only museum dedicated to straw craft in the Nordic countries and Steneby (Dals Långed).
Participating designers:
Katja Petterson (SE)
Katrin Greiling (SE/DE)
Hrafnkell Birgisson (IS)
Cordula Kehrer (DE)
Sagovolvo: Jonas Nobel & Bella Rune (SE)
Forma Fantasma: Andrea Trimarchi & Simone Farresin (IT/NL)
Company: Aamu Song & Johan Olin (FIN)
Participating straw craft makers from Dalsland:
Eva Bryntesson
Ann- Christine Gustafsson
Anna Lena Ingemansson
Lisa Järnberg
Christina Lundin
Mai Flognman
Christina Johansson
Christina Axelsson
Doris Karlsson
Anita Harnell
Eje Arén
The workshop will take place from June 18 until June 23rd 9.30-16.30
Steneby
Hemslöjdsvägen 1
660 10 Dals Långed
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