Artisanal Intelligence, a new digital platform developed by Miriam Regina Zanini, brings the results of her doctoral research in Design at FBAUP into an open and accessible space for dissemination, reflection and participation.
Developed under the supervision of Heitor Alvelos and Jorge Brandão Pereira, the research proposes a reconsideration of craft as an integrated system of technical, cognitive, cultural and ethical knowledge, challenging its frequent positioning as a peripheral or exclusively traditional form of practice.
At the centre of Artisanal Intelligence is the proposition that manual knowledge can offer meaningful responses to contemporary questions surrounding sustainability, cultural continuity, education, wellbeing, technological change and alternative forms of production.
The concept is structured around three interconnected axes – Ethical-Political, Technical-Cultural and Cognitive-Experiential – and unfolds across ten dimensions through which craft is explored as embodied practice, a system of knowledge, a vehicle for culture, an ethical position, an alternative economic model, historical heritage, a sustainable approach, a process associated with wellbeing, a field for technical innovation and an educational paradigm.
The newly launched website was conceived to take this research beyond the academic environment. Its content has been developed for a broad audience, including craftspeople, designers, researchers, institutions and the general public, combining conceptual rigour with an accessible approach to scientific communication.
The platform also includes an open manifesto, through which researchers, designers, craftspeople and institutions can engage with the project and become co-signatories, contributing to the development of a wider network around Artisanal Intelligence.
The project’s visual identity similarly reflects the dialogue between tradition and technology. Its modular grid draws on the structure of a loom, while its graphic system explores the relationship between human making and generative processes.
The launch of the website represents not an endpoint, but the beginning of a broader framework of publications, conversations and future actions emerging from the doctoral research.
Explore Artisanal Intelligence:
https://inteligenciaartesanal.art/
The website is currently available in Portuguese. An English-language version is in preparation.
