The Power Of Craft (introduction by cyril zammit all panelists on stage)

Talk
The Power Of Craft
(INTRODUCTION BY CYRIL ZAMMIT – ALL PANELISTS ON STAGE)

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen

My name is Cyril Zammit, I am a design advisor based in Dubai and I have the honour to be the moderator of tonight’s panel discussion on the occasion of the launch of the Uzbek Chapter on the Homo Faber Guide.

What better country than Uzbekistan when we talk about craft. Thanks to the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation under the Cabinet of Ministers, I have been discovering the country for over a year now and I have to say it is an on-going enlightment with the national treasures and its population.

Tonight, we celebrate eleven individuals who have carried over national heritage and techniques, transmitted their passion to their children, grand-children and apprentices.

Thanks to the Michelangelo Foundation, we are connecting them tonight to their peers worldwide.

The Power of Craft goes beyond the tradition, it is a powerful combination of the identity of a nation. Today, some would see or consider craft as a testament of the past… To me it is more a legacy for the future. The UNESCO considers traditional craftsmanship perhaps as the most tangible manifestation of intangible cultural heritage.

The values carried by craft might be simple but they are deep: dedication, humility and discipline. Handicrafts have been around since man’s earliest days and always in perfect symbiosis with its direct surroundings. More than the practical production of object, it is an art that reflects the artistic sense, feelings and cultural characteristics of a society.

Tonight, in this beautiful Madrassa, I have to the pleasure to have our host, Ms Gayane Umerova, Executive Director of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, Mr Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation XXX, as well as two renowned designers who constantly work with craft masters: Nada Debs from Beirut and Ahmad Angawi from Jeddah.

Together we will discuss why craft is important, how craft has a powerful impact to a city, a region or a country, what are the values of craft and which tools does craft need to secure a solid and creative future.

It is time to celebrate the ingenuity of human hands and its imagination as a chance to define distinctiveness.

But first, I would like to ask Mr. Alberto Cavalli to present the Michelangelo Foundation and its important mission worldwide.

(ALL PANELISTS LEAVE THE STAGE EXCEPT ALBERTO CAVALLI)


(KEYNOTE BY ALBERTO CAVALLI)