Beautiful Work

Craft in contemporary lives approached by students and young designers.

"Working on the project was a great challenge for us. It wasn't just about learning the craft processes, preparing the necessary raw materials, and mastering the technology. We were looking for new ways to apply traditional craftsmanship in the present day. We asked ourselves questions about its place in today's society. In some cases, we found that the chosen type of craft is commonly used in a different form in modernised production or traditional practices can be enriched with new technologies so that they have a chance to compete in today's market. At other times, it was enough to give it a more comprehensible form for today's society and thus support the narrative of the craft's usefulness in our times", explains Adam Kvaček, one of the authors and curator of the exhibition, about the process of creating and applying original crafts to the present. Exhibitors: Sofia Artemeva, Tereza Bláhová, Miloslav Chytil, Ivo Jedlička, Sára Kučerová, Adam Kvaček, Jan Lechner, Mikuláš Procházka, and Karolína Vintrová.

Head of the Studio of Product Design speaks about the Beautiful Work project

"In this project, it was essential for students to encounter the reality of disappearing crafts and search for their sustainability in the future. They succeeded in translating the techniques into the needs of the 21st century. This could never have been achieved without the opportunity to work with the masters of old technologies, learning about them and the craft. Thanks to this, they gained a new perspective and respect for the craft", says the head of the studio, designer Michal Froněk. To highlight the very complex work and value of the crafts, a catalogue was published to accompany the exhibition. In addition to descriptions of individual works, it includes essays by young artists who share their experiences of working with masters in their field, their own creative journey, and plans for how to use traditional arts and practices in the future. The catalogue can also be seen as a guide to how traditional arts and practices can be preserved and developed in the future.