Brhands Foundation, a Portuguese foundation that has the mission to pay tribute to artisans and craftsmanship has recently launched a new original initiative, the Culture Project. This project seeks to recognize the astonishing work of master artisans and designers from all over the world and that’s where Paris Design Agenda comes into play as we want everyone to know about this imperative project for the development of arts, creators and craftsmanship.
The creative hub that is the Culture Project started to take shape in Covet Town, Covet Group’s “city of design” in Gondomar. It wants to be the meeting point where thinkers and makers work in a studio of artist, artisans and designers. All of this to promote and project the future of Portuguese applied arts and trades so that these don’t come to an end and meet new chapters.
CULTURE has the ambition to preserve as many national arts and trades as possible, and for that to become a reality, it has gathered government entities, universities, polytechnics, professional centres, artists, artisans and designers with the goal of joining forces and give visibility to the Portuguese arts in the international market.
Joaquim Paulo and João Barros are two of the designers that are part of Brhands and that are the face of this challenge called CULTURE. Joaquim Paulo tells us that “CULTURE project’s main mission is to be able to put, all in one place, the artists, artisans and designers and to create a synergy where there’s an exchange of knowledge and know-how, and being able to project it onto pieces and elevate craftsmanship through design for the whole world”.
When we talk about artisanal techniques and design, applied to the world of luxury goods, Nuno Barra, Marketing and New Product Development Director at Vista Alegre clarifies: “It’s the combination of the two areas, not even design can do it, it will never be able to make its pieces without the collaboration of the artisan and the artisan also needs design to able to make the pieces that are valued nowadays. Because what is valued today won’t be what is valued in twenty years, things change. But that joint collaboration, and I really believe in all of the areas, either there’s a collaboration among the areas or there’s always something missing. Just like the creation of the product and the billing of the company, if there isn’t a combination of these several areas something will fail during the process, there has to be a collaboration”.
In this first gathering, these were the following entities represented:
Besides Culture Project, the Brhands Foundation was also a big part of the Luxury Design & Craftsmanship Summit, which took place last month. All of these initiatives have the purpose of bringing to life the mission chosen by the Group: Elevate Design and Craftsmanship.
