Crafting Europe: iAtelier Open Call Ireland

iAtelier: Technology & Innovative Practice
OPEN CALL: Funded Opportunity for Designers and Craftspeople

In partnership with the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, Limerick School of Art & Design (LSAD), LIT has been named as the Irish host of iAtelier Online, a European funded programme aimed at aiding the adoption and use of ICT tools in craft work.

Coordinated by Crafting Europe, and taking place in eight countries across Europe, the programme is designed to encourage innovative forms of creation that integrate cutting-edge digital fabrication technologies into the practice of craft-making.

iAtelier Online is a funded programme to create a craft/product innovation springboard by providing participants with free training, access to new tools and opportunities to network with designers, craftspeople and experts from across Ireland and Europe.

Applications are now being sought for 20 participants from a Digital Design and/or Traditional Craft background to take part in ‘iAtelier Online’ at LSAD, LIT this April.

1. The Introduction Series takes place in April/May 2021 where participants from both digital design and traditional crafts backgrounds will introduce their work and explore future design collaborations.
2. Following this will be a series of Expert Talks where participants will attend a series of online live talks from expert designers and craftspeople introducing how they utilise digital technologies and digital fabrication within their practice; including laser cutting, 3D printing and CNC routing.

It is anticipated that this Expert webinars will be held over a series of 2 sessions per week over 5 weeks. Participants will be paid a stipend of €240 in total for participating in this Expert Talks Series.

3. Following on from these events, participants will be invited to apply for the Maker Workshops. To be eligible to apply the participants will need to form a collaborative partnerships of two or more participants (Ideally a participant with digital design skills would pair up with a participant with craft skills). The collaborative partnership will create a digital craft project proposal. 5 collaborative partnerships will be selected by the Crafting Europe team to develop their proposed project through the Maker Workshops at Limerick School of Art & Design.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  Midnight (GMT)  17th February 2021 

For further information or to apply to iAtelier please click HERE

What is Crafting Europe?
Supported by Creative Europe, the ‘Crafting Europe’ project was inspired by the need to build capacity within the crafts sector across Europe. Led by Design & Crafts Council Ireland, it is a partnership between nine expert organisations across Europe.

The Crafting Europe project will focus on three main areas:

1. Research
2. ICT Tools
3. Business Tools

This phase of the project provides a unique opportunity for designers/makers with ambition to learn new skills, combining digital fabrication technologies with traditional skills. In particular it will encourage innovative forms of creation that integrate cutting-edge digital fabrication technologies into the practice of craft-making.

Crafting Europe will run from September 2019 to September 2022.
The Partners involved in the project are;
1. IE – Design and Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI)
2. IT – Artex
3. UK – Crafts Council (CCUK)
4. IE – Limerick Institute of Technology (IE)
5. PT – CEARTE
6. ES – EOI-Fundesarte
7. NL – Crafts Council Netherlands (CCNL)
8. UKR – The Handicraft Chamber of Ukraine
9. GA – Georgian Arts and Culture Centre (GACC)
Each of the project partners have been selected as they bring unique knowledge and skills from their respective territories.