Methods to capture and model craftsmen’s tacit knowledge in traditional designs

Abstract

Local crafts and traditional designs are symbolic representations of culture of their origin. Conservation of this art has always been accorded priority. Several instances have been reported of a craft’s lineage having died out because there being very few craftsmen willing to continue practicing or train new interns. Continuing the family traditions is becoming difficult besides resulting in documentation gaps and tacit knowledge loss. Designers need efficient methods to capture and document a craftsman or a fine artists or a designers’ mental model not only during creation but also during reflection and conservation. This paper outlines a method and process to identify components of tacit knowledge within Implicit and Explicit knowledge categories of a crafts object. Craftsman engaged during the creation of the objects are observed and documented. Using ethnography and personal interviews, their activity is analyzed to derive and categorize components of knowledge. It is posited that such methods have potential use in conservation, geographical identification and documentation. Ultimate aim is to be able to translate such traditional knowledge into the digital format for use with machines so as to be able to reproduce—to the best of mapping possible—such designs that have been abandoned due to their inability to be passed on to newer generations.