CCD NL 2.0

It is a beautiful honour to announce the rejuvenation of an endeavor, and this is mine. The Center for Culture and Development - The Netherlands is back; with new members, an improved website, exciting new strategies, and every iota of the old passion. As we get back to work, we are determined more than ever to remain committed to our goal: to provide a platform for the revival of cultural traditions across countries by organizing ventures of a sustainable nature. We are intent on preserving mighty and ancient crafts rooted in generations of tradition. In this short blog post, I shall give brief updates of the activities of CCD-NL in the post COVID era.

Projects

The traditional art of Ikat weaving was the initial inspiration behind the pilot project of this organization. It remains one of our key areas among other concerns. We are currently engaged in four major projects. “The Threads of Tradition: Fostering Cultural Ties Through Ikat” is based on the ties between Indonesia and Netherlands and seeks to promote the collaboration between artisans from Indonesia and Dutch designers. The project advocates the importance of sustainability and environment consciousness in the practice of Ikat. It also seeks to support the woman artisans by empowering them with the knowledge of new business and marketing techniques. An important element of the project is the establishment of an e-commerce platform which will enable the selling of Ikat products to a global audience.

Our second project, “Lab for Ikat” aims to develop innovative methods to produce dyes and promote ecofriendly practices in Ikat by organizing a series of workshops.

The PAN project is an intercontinental venture designed to produce new ties and strengthen the old bonds between the artisans in different parts of Asia with the designers in Europe. The project will be actualized by conducting workshops and panel discussions and hosting research and prototyping. The project also involves the “Art for Health” initiative which concentrates on sensory textile design in the care of dementia patients. The initiative draws on the research backed utilization of Multi-Sensory Environment (MSE) to help stimulate or relax the senses of individuals with limited cognitive abilities. The Art for Health initiative delves into and explores the textile sensory design as stated in the article, “Sensory Design for Dementia Care – The Benefits of Textiles” by Anke Jakob and Lesley Collier. The initiative is based on “the potential of textiles as an important sensorial agent enhancing the wellbeing and quality of life of people living with dementia” (Jakob & Collier).

The Kasuri Project centers on the research and promotion of Kurume Kasuri, a type of ikat produced in Japan which primarily features geometric patterns. The blog post, “Ikat around the World – Japan” by Coleen Gonner details the history and process of Kasuri weaving (https://www.ccdnl.org/blogs/ikat-around-the-world-japan). The project is aimed at building a collaboration between the Japanese artisans engaged in the craft and Dutch artists. The development of a cross-cultural tête-à-tête is the core of the project. The activities would include workshops, artist presentations, webinars, and educational events for conducting a profitable business in an international market. These are the major projects assembled under the umbrella of the renewed CCD-NL. 

Social Media

We have revamped our social media strategy to align with the boom experienced in that sector. We seek to remain consistently active in the old channels while also trying to expand to other mediums. The social media team believes that these channels could be an incredible asset to building a network of like-minded individuals committed to the cause of the preservation of traditional crafts. Please do check out our Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/ccd_nl/) for the latest updates regarding our activities.

Contribution

Since the COVID 19 pandemic, like many other similar organizations, we are facing a financial crunch. The struggle to raise funds and procure donations is a never ceasing battle. The reminder that we lend a helping hand to the artisans who are going through post pandemic difficulties keeps us inspired to fight against the odds. Despite the obstacles we face, I am pleased and proud to announce that we have a team of dedicated and passionate individuals who work tirelessly to drive CCD NL to new heights.