About this workshop
As designers, we always aim to create a product which perfectly matches the specifications we give to our makers and often misinterpret the unseen parts such as hand or machine limitations, material unavailability and technical savoir-faire. What if we ignored the outcome for an instant and rather looked at the process and how we communicated our design intentions to our collaborators, whether they are designers, artisans or suppliers, in our local context?
The aim of the workshop is to start a document - that could be developed over the course of the coming months - which gathers our various experiences working with other designers and artisans. We will attempt to collectively document lessons learnt, challenges and successes. Topics such as design intention, communication, research and production imperfection will be tackled during the workshop.
About the facilitator
The workshop will be facilitated by Turquoise Mountain Jordan.
Victoria Dabdoub (architect and project manager), André Mcheileh (product designer), Salma Qatawneh (architect), Nour Mujahed (architect and artist) and Firas Hamdan (architect and researcher).
Turquoise Mountain is a non-profit organisation that aims to preserve cultural heritage. In Jordan, they collaborate with some of the most skilled artisans and have together designed and produced a range of homeware items and large furniture pieces. They foster apprenticeship programs designed to restore traditional crafts with a focus on woodworking, silversmithing and embroidery. Lastly, they conduct cultural heritage activities for children and youth across the country.