As part of make-a-thek, Global Innovation Gathering (GIG) will host a community call on Wed, 9 July at 14.00 CET.
The session will take a closer look at how traditional building and craft methods—rooted in using what’s available, repairing rather than replacing, and creating for longevity—can offer meaningful responses to today’s sustainability challenges. From the historic architecture of Old Mosul to longstanding craft traditions across Europe and contemporary ceramic practices in Ukraine, we will explore how time-tested approaches continue to inspire innovation and resilience.
We will talk about how craftspeople have been practicing sustainability for centuries, often without naming it as such. We will look at how traditional forms are preserved and reinterpreted through acts of repair, and how these heritage practices still speak to our lives today. Topics will include the balance between preservation and innovation, the accessibility of traditional methods, and the idea of circular crafting not just as an environmental strategy, but also as a form of cultural and mental recovery.
Featured guests include Salih Mahmood (former innovation hub manager, Mosul), Natalia Viter (journalist and founder of Potter Viter studi), as well as ECA General Secretary Laura Miguel Baumann and Programme Manager Rachel Kelly.
Expect an interactive conversation with space for questions, shared stories, and thoughtful discussion, guided by featured speakers and enriched by your contributions.
make-a-thek, an EU HORIZON project connecting 9 partners, including ECA, envisions public libraries as inclusive, accessible hubs for innovation and sustainability by integrating modular makerspaces into their spaces. The monthly community calls are organised by GIG and are a space to foster collaborative discussions with different parts of the maker community.