Making Matters

Craftsmanship plays a crucial role as a vital link between intangible heritage and tangible artefacts, making significant contributions to shaping collective memory and providing livelihoods. Over the past decade, the ongoing crises in Syria have posed substantial threats to traditional Syrian craftsmanship, promoting multiple efforts to document, support, and safeguard Syrian crafts within and beyond the country. This heightened focus on Syrian crafts has given rise to several important questions: What defines the realm of craftsmanship? How do we establish criteria for its categorisation? Which documentary and support measures can ensure the preservation of these crafts? And, in fragile contexts such as forced displacement and refuge, what social frameworks facilitate such support?

This session aims to share narratives encompassing Syria's diverse range of crafts. It will commence by reframing the concept of craftsmanship and artisanal work within the specific context of Syria. Subsequently, it will delve into various craft practices in Syria, encompassing areas such as building crafts and food preservation. The session will explore the endurance of these practices by leveraging local resources while examining the challenges and opportunities they encounter in light of relief and vocational training projects.

This session coincides with the release of an investigative research and documentation report on the state of crafts in northern Syria, jointly undertaken by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and researchers Fares Al-Saleh, Maria José Aquino, Wesam Al Asali, and Yasser Battikha.