The Heritage Council of Contemporary Crafts, affiliated with the Namaa Foundation for the Advancement of Women, organized a virtual discussion session, in cooperation with the Italian luxury jewelry brand "Bulgari", during which it hosted a group of experts specialized in the design and heritage sector from the Emirates and Italy, during which they discussed the future of the handicraft industry and the size of the renewal, and benefit Earned by the design market from heritage.
The session came within the framework of the council’s message aimed at reviving the traditional handicrafts in the country and modernizing them.
The virtual session was entitled "Handicrafts and the Role of Design: Adapting to a New Reality", in which: Reem Bin Karam, Director, Nama Foundation for the Advancement of Women, Manal Ataya, Director General of the Sharjah Museums Authority, and Sheikh Salem Faisal Al Qasimi, Founder and Creative Director of Studio, participated in it. Idea for Design, Lucia Boscaini, curator of the Bulgari Trademark and Heritage brand, and Gampaolo della Croce, Senior Director of Fine Jewelery in Bulgari, moderated the session by Farah Nasri, Assistant Director of Evaluation and Design at the Heritage Council of Contemporary Crafts.
Reem bin Karam indicated that the rapid economic changes that the world has witnessed have had great effects on the craftsmen and their work, and even on the cultural heritage itself, and stressed the importance of cooperation and its role in mitigating these impacts in the future, and that "the time has come for such a creative and aesthetic cultural dialogue" .
In turn, Gambaolo Della Croce said: “The craftsmanship of the Bulgari brand in Rome was able to benefit from the period of staying at home during these difficult times, thanks to the technology that enabled him to inspire our archives in the Italian capital to create new collections, new forms and patterns of jewelry and designs, as well as Artisans specializing in goldsmith have invested their time in attending virtual educational seminars.
For her part, Lucia Boscaini said: “Heritage affects contemporary crafts, and the lesson we learned from the Bulgari family since its inception when the brand's founder, Sotrius Volgares, used most of his knowledge and expertise in crafting silver, to offer several innovations at the end of the 19th century, and take advantage of the richness of heritage He uses his experience to introduce new elements that reflect the spirit of modernity.
Manal Ataya said: “The strategy for displaying and promoting heritage needs to change. The public and society have changed as a whole and become more integrated with the globalization movement. Here lies the importance of redefining contemporary heritage, and what it means to us today, and its adaptation and change to some extent, and looking at the way in which it affects Popular culture is about heritage, its structure, and its characteristics in growth and development, and for this we must reflect on how the heritage is mainly marketed. ”
For his part, Sheikh Salem Faisal Al Qasimi said: “It is difficult to successfully implement marketing campaigns related to cultural heritage, but if they are implemented correctly and people begin to find the links that bring them together because of the story they are telling, they will become highly effective.”
He added: "It is possible for the exhibitions to change the way they work and display their collections by default in the future. However, I do not think that these virtual exhibitions will be able to replace the actual exhibitions, but they will be able to supply them in a different way."
The speakers concluded the discussion session by emphasizing that the arts and crafts will remain active and relevant and in close relationship with the public, sponsors and supporters, if they succeed in telling authentic stories that ensure the interaction of people, and highlight commonalities instead of differences.