Creating, Connecting and Sustaining Links with the Indonesian Craft Economy
Lead Research Organisation:
Sheffield Hallam University
Department Name: Faculty of Arts Computing Eng and Sci
Abstract
This project will bring together rural craft producers, fair trade businesses and design researchers in Indonesia to explore opportunities, to develop new networks, build long term partnerships and support innovation.
The UN has a Sustainable Development Goal to "Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all". To achieve this, the UN has set targets to: "Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises ...", and to "... devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products"
Creating new connections between Indonesian design researchers, international fair trade organisations and rural craft producers, will stimulate innovation in products, services and marketing (both for export and for local sustainable tourism). These initiatives will improve employment opportunities in rural areas, encourage pride in local culture, improve rural incomes and reduce pressures of migration towards cities.
The UN has a Sustainable Development Goal to "Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all". To achieve this, the UN has set targets to: "Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises ...", and to "... devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products"
Creating new connections between Indonesian design researchers, international fair trade organisations and rural craft producers, will stimulate innovation in products, services and marketing (both for export and for local sustainable tourism). These initiatives will improve employment opportunities in rural areas, encourage pride in local culture, improve rural incomes and reduce pressures of migration towards cities.
Planned Impact
Our primary route to impact is via the Indonesian partners who will be engaging with this project and will be brought together through this project. This includes both formal project partners such as Tunjung Women's Creative Project in Bali and the Institute of Teknologi in Surubaya, Java and Shared Earth Ltd in the UK; the connected organisations who have indicated their interest in collaboration such as Mitra Bali (a fair trade craft organisation based in Bali) and the Creative Economy Board of Indonesia; and new networks of craft producers who will be encouraged and supported through the activities of this project.
The choice of partners, particularly the engagement of a local design research institution is critical to the sustainability of this project.
The networks and chains of communication that will be constructed through the project activities will not only enable marginalised craft producers to understand the markets that they are addressing, but also enable these producers to develop their creative capacities to generate added value for customers and to capture that value for themselves and their families.
Tunjung Women's Creative Project will recieve direct benefit from the study visit of Ms Kadek Febry to the UK to study the craft and gift market and to meet with organisations from the Create Connect & Sustain network, as well as from developing relationships with the Institute of Teknologi in Surubaya.
Other producers will gain directly from the learning provided in workshops hosted in Java and in Bali, by developing new relationships with creative design research at the Institute of Teknologi, and by building linkages to fair trade actors working at different points along the fair trade value chain. They will also gain by meeting diverse craft practitioners which may stimulate thinking about new product possibilities that combine diverse skills. These two links could be viewed as building 'linking' and 'bridging' social capital respectively.
The Indonesian creative economy as a whole will gain from the demonstration of new modes of collaboration between design research, craft practice, and fair trade that will be sustained after the completion of this short intervention project.
The choice of partners, particularly the engagement of a local design research institution is critical to the sustainability of this project.
The networks and chains of communication that will be constructed through the project activities will not only enable marginalised craft producers to understand the markets that they are addressing, but also enable these producers to develop their creative capacities to generate added value for customers and to capture that value for themselves and their families.
Tunjung Women's Creative Project will recieve direct benefit from the study visit of Ms Kadek Febry to the UK to study the craft and gift market and to meet with organisations from the Create Connect & Sustain network, as well as from developing relationships with the Institute of Teknologi in Surubaya.
Other producers will gain directly from the learning provided in workshops hosted in Java and in Bali, by developing new relationships with creative design research at the Institute of Teknologi, and by building linkages to fair trade actors working at different points along the fair trade value chain. They will also gain by meeting diverse craft practitioners which may stimulate thinking about new product possibilities that combine diverse skills. These two links could be viewed as building 'linking' and 'bridging' social capital respectively.
The Indonesian creative economy as a whole will gain from the demonstration of new modes of collaboration between design research, craft practice, and fair trade that will be sustained after the completion of this short intervention project.
Organisations
| Description | Our research showed that there are substantive differences between the situation for craft producers in Java and producers in neighbouring Bali in terms of their routes to international fair trade markets. For producers in Bali, the key issue has been identifying and connecting with businesses that can promote and export craft products that are already well developed. The presence of high numbers of foreign tourists visiting Bali results in producers having a good sense of consumers' tastes, but routes to international markets are limited. In Java, fewer foreign visitors means that the main routes for increasing sales are actually by developing links with business in Bali, or by developing bespoke, high added-value products. Linkages across these supply chains are important both for supporting product design and for quality management. A key challenge in develloping these linkages is the need for mediators who can manage differences in language, culture and business expectations between producers and potential customers. There is an important role of mediating between foreign customers operating with formal processes, typically operating in English using email and producers communicating using Whatsapp and using Baha Indonesian. This role is now being addressed in the development of a new business - Rumah Laksmi - that has spun out from the project. |
| Exploitation Route | Our findings show the value of bringing together craft producers, designers, wholesale and retail businesses, and fair trade organisations. In particular, fair trade organisations may need to cultivate mediating organisations and mediating networks of producers, so that the (substantial) costs of fair trade certification can be spread across many small independent producers. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Retail,Other |
| URL | http://rumahlaksmi.com/ |
| Description | Our findings are being used to guide the development of Rumah Laksmi - the spin out company. Sadly, the company has ceased trading due to the personal circumstances of the director. Our findings are also informing the undergraduate curriculum for craft & design students at Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember in Surabaya (a partner in the project). We are continuing collaboration with ITS building on the work to support the development of new product design processes among craft businesses in Indonesia (Java) |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Education,Other |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Economic |
| Description | Presentation to World Fair Trade Organisation International Fair Trade Summit (Sept 2019) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of the methods used at a meeting of the World Fair Trade Organisation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://wfto.com/2019-summit-programme?field_day_tid=1675 |