Material Dialogues: Ludic engagement with indigenous communities through craft practices

Traditional crafts are experiencing a revival in the context of sustainable futures and social innovation, which has been reflected in a surge of initiatives that promote collaborations between designers and indigenous craftspeople as a means of cultural heritage preservation. By raising issues of post-colonization and positioning of indigenous perspectives, this practice-based research will investigate the role of design on creating meaningful engagements through craft practices in order to promote a balanced dialogue between designers and indigenous craft people. For this purpose, the project will undertake a series of case studies with communities of Zapoteca ceramists in Oaxaca, Mexico, where design-led methods and visual ethnography will be used to explore new approaches to indigenous knowledge.