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Crafts on Peel is a local charitable organisation dedicated to reviving, reinterpreting and perpetuating traditional craftsmanship. Helmed by its creative director Penelope Luk and founder Yama Chan, the organisation fosters collaboration between craftsmen from different eras through apprenticeship and technical exchanges. By nurturing a new generation of contemporary artisans, it aspires to breathe new life into time-honoured crafts with creative ideas and designs, such that craftmanship could truly stand the test of time.
Situated on Peel Street in Central, Crafts on Peel is housed in a historic building constructed in 1948. Thematic exhibitions, workshops, artisan-in-residence, craft exchange programmes and an experiential shopping platform, etc. are all happening in this venue, which aims at providing a novel way to experience craft such that the public can become more appreciative of craftmanship, culture and aesthetics. The successful conservation and revitalisation of this site is the fruition of 18 months of hard work by the project's founders Chan and Luk. Their mission to foster the transmission and innovation of traditional Hong Kong crafts has achieved initial success since its opening in 2020.
While crafts are not masterpieces or national treasures, Crafts on Peel is passionate about the cultural and historic values embedded in them. Thus, it has chosen to innovate traditional crafts.
Luk explained, "The boundaries between crafts, design and art are somehow blurry. Art comes in many forms; design places a strong focus on concepts, while crafts are, after all, practical objects that are integral to our lives. The creation of crafts and their uniqueness are characterised by material selection, processes and application of tools."
The circular logo of Crafts on Peel features the Chinese character "me", which is formed by two inverted "hands" to symbolise how workmanship is passed down from the hand of the master to the hand of the apprentice. The logo also reflects the cultural identity of traditional crafts. As Luk mentioned, crafts are created by combining the mind, the heart and the hands of the craftsman, who has stories to tell about each crafted item. She added, "This is the very essence of crafts and where their cultural value lies. The creators of our exhibits here, for instance, are all devoted to perfecting their craft. The 64 artisans that we are supporting all share this common goal."
Luk contends that although crafts are not mainstream creative endeavours, the pragmatic yet artisanal spirit and skills could complement and elevate designs and art. "Cultural reform is taking place throughout history. For example, bamboo meal containers have been discovered from millennia-old archaeological assemblage. These crafts revealed how ancient people improved their lives with clever ideas. Many of their production techniques, materials and tools applied are still in use today. The very practical vases, tea ware or incense burners from the Song dynasty are also very pleasant to look at. As crafts are inseparable from everyday life, we could indeed map historical and cultural changes through these pragmatically aesthetic items. We know that crafts are still in demand today. Our challenge is to find a way to inform practitioners from different domains, so that the value and benefits of crafts can be better understood."
At Crafts on Peel, crafts are not simply unanimated objects. They are not only associated with a price tag either. Instead, one can always catch a glimpse of history, culture, and stories behind each piece. Supported by the private funding of its founder Yama Chan, Crafts on Peel is committed to reviving, reinterpreting, and perpetuating traditional crafts. Luk said, "This is our philosophy and our mission. It is also a standard to be adhered by the projects we support. We strive to'revive'crafts that were once highly popular and to keep them growing. We'reinterpret'traditional techniques and tool application with new methods such that they can advance with time. By generating new demands for reinterpreted creations, the fundamental business can 'perpetuated'."
To achieve these goals, Crafts on Peel launched an apprentice scheme, an exchange project and an online platform to educate the public about the value of crafts. Luk said, "Our first five-year plan is to educate the public. We hope that a craft academy can be established in Hong Kong within 10 years. Hong Kong cannot thrive on professionals like lawyers and doctors alone. We must keep traditional crafts alive, and more people should know about them. Formal training and education should be introduced. This is an area that we would like to be a part of."
Luk emphasised that Hong Kong has many crafts that deserve the public's attention, preservation and development. Crafts on Peel has organised thematic exhibitions to showcase the traditional crafts and creative reinterpretations of bamboo, metal and wood, including bamboo and paper craft, bamboo bird cages; the folding and buckling, hammering, chiselling and lost-wax casting techniques of galvanized iron; as well as the mortise and tenon structures, engraved and sculpted pieces, woodworking lathes of woodwork.
"Japan is a role model in preserving crafts because they value documentation. There are generations of the same family dedicating themselves to the same craft. Our own traditional crafts, however, are rarely systematically recorded or displayed. Without proper documentation, techniques are only transmitted from masters to their apprentices. Many old masters find it challenging to express their skills and techniques in words. They know how to work on their crafts but may not know why – they only remember these as the recommendations of their predecessors. Crafts on Peel can be a matchmaker and connect traditional craftsmen and contemporary creators to foster further exchange and collaboration," said Luk.
To draw the public's attention to traditional crafts, Crafts on Peel has compiled a register of Hong Kong craftsmen that offers a list of active artisans and their relevant areas and materials. Apprenticeship and exchange programmes are then organised to connect two generations of artisans and to promote exchange and collaboration. To encourage innovation in traditional crafts, artisans are commissioned to create new projects, and the creative process is recorded like oral history for future reference. Luk said, "We noted that traditional crafts stay evergreen when their craftsmen continue to inject new elements. The Japanese are doing really well in this aspect, partly because crafts are still living and breathing in their everyday life, and the general public is still supporting and paying for traditional crafts."
COVID certainly disrupted the development of Crafts on Peel, but it has not hindered the organisation's efforts in popularising Hong Kong's home-grown workmanship. In 2021, Crafts on Peel was invited by Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (London) to take part in the London Craft Week. Participants' response was overwhelming. Luk recalled, "The London Craft Week saw the presence of some 300 crafters from all around the world. As an Asian representative, we presented 45 bamboo craft pieces created by Hong Kong craftsmen. On the traditional side, we showed bamboo weaving, paper crafting, bird cages and bamboo steamers. We also brought with us the collaborative works by traditional craftsmen and contemporary creators. Two contemporary craftsmen - Jinno Neko and Gamzar – were invited to demonstrate their creative processes on site also. It was a great way to promote Hong Kong's workmanship and we received very enthusiastic support online and offline."
Traditional craftsmen are not often adept at showing or promoting their workmanship and products. By hosting exhibitions and exchange events, Crafts on Peel can act as a bridge to catch the attention of different audience groups, serving to educate the public and to promote different crafts. Luk said, "We are very glad that more and more brands are approaching us. Based on different themes, we can help to link up cooperation opportunities for the relevant craftsmen. We usually manage to create enough noise through our exhibitions. With close to 30 similar projects running at present, Crafts on Peel is somehow playing the role of a branding consultant. We are a non-profit making organisation, working voluntarily without charging a fee. Our difficulties come from limited resources. As such, we can only handpick mature projects to offer our assistance and our help is limited to matching craftsmen with interested parties."
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