Cluster Bamboo Training
Local craft is a reflection of the relationship between humans and their environment within their historical, cultural, and social contexts. Pre-industrial artisans were skilled crafts people who used locally available materials to create products and generate income. As similar products manufactured with alternative or new
materials were introduced to the market the demand for traditional craftsmanship sharply declined.
Mechanization and mass production led to a shift in the production system from customized artisanship to large-scale generic production. To compete with mass produced
products, artisans generally must sell their individually handmade work at lower prices. Greenhalgh (2003, p. 6) indicates that crafts straddle between the art and design economies and often get the worst of both worlds. The artists naturally make a living by selling their handmade objects at a profitable margin, and the designers make a living by designing objects that go into mass-production.
Considering that their craft products lack the prestige of art or the reproducibility of product design, craftspeople often have to resort to selling their unique
works at mass production prices. Meanwhile, traditional crafts, involving practices rooted in local knowledge and accumulated over time, are part of our cultural heritage and should be preserved and revitalized. Designers are called upon to bridge thegap between idea and practice, and to link artistic and creative elements
with practical and realizable outcomes.
Accordingly, organizations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Crafts Council (WCC), and Aid to Artisans
(ATA) have made efforts to bring traditional crafts into mainstream life. Such efforts include engaging designers to workwith artisan groups to develop new product
lines for new market.
Objectives
● Design and development of Bamboo products focusing onemerging market for craft products,
● Designing and development of moulds required for the specific products,
● Design and development of product specific tools required,
● Hands on training to the trainer and artisans by conducting seriesof workshops at identified clusters,
● Design of packaging for each product,
● Design and development of instructions related to each product,
● Developing an e-marketing website for Bamboo Craft Products.8: Training on marketing strategy and coordination.
