Seeing an object and understanding it are not always the same thing.
For this episode of Craft Matters, we travelled to San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice during Homo Faber 2026, where more than 700 objects by over 500 craftspeople from more than 70 countries were brought together across the Fondazione Giorgio Cini.
At the centre of the episode is a conversation with Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, who reflects on the thinking behind Homo Faber: how craft is presented, how attention is shaped, and why beauty alone is not enough.
Homo Faber is not only an exhibition of finished objects. Craftspeople demonstrate their work in front of visitors. Young Ambassadors explain materials and techniques. Light, sound and space shape how the work is encountered. Together, these different layers make Homo Faber an interesting place to ask a broader question: how do you present craft?
We hear from craftspeople whose work can easily be mistaken for something else, from Young Ambassadors learning how knowledge can change the way an object is seen, and from visitors reflecting on what happens when craft is given time, space and attention.
Speakers in this episode:
Alberto Cavalli – Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship
Marc Schweitzer – Papercutter, Switzerland
Rasa Vilčinskaitė – Bead embroiderer, Lithuania
Tshegafatso Choenyane – Interior designer, creative artisan, and Homo Faber Young Ambassador, South Africa
Melinda Hüttl – Ceramic artist and Homo Faber Young Ambassador, Hungary
Vardhini Pendharkar – Fashion business graduate and Homo Faber Young Ambassador, India / Singapore
Thierry Plante-Dubé – Chief Executive Officer for Maison des métiers d'art de Québec, Canada
Jude van de Merwe – Chair of the Asia Pacific Crafts Alliance, Australia
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More about the European Crafts Alliance: europeancraftsalliance.org
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Credits
Host and producer: Adriana Campo
Continuity announcer: Rachel Kelly
Field recording: Rachel Kelly and Laura Miguel Baumann
Sound editor: Johan Chandorkar, Umamiproduktion
Story editor, scriptwriter and dramaturg: Ana Kuntarič
Brodersen Executive producer: Laura Miguel Baumann
Produced by the European Crafts Alliance
Music: The Walking Song by Adam Ben Ezra (album: Hide & Seek)
Disclaimer
Co-funded by the European Union. The views expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the granting authority. Furthermore, any views or opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent those of the European Crafts Alliance.
About the European Crafts Alliance
The European Crafts Alliance is an independent non-profit network representing over 40 member organisations across 25 European countries. It works to strengthen and support the crafts sector across Europe. The podcast Craft Matters is a podcast by the European Crafts Alliance exploring the people, policies, and practices shaping craft across Europe — from independent makers to cultural institutions and decision-makers. Through interviews, stories, and field recordings, the series reveals how craft lives, evolves, and contributes to Europe’s economic and cultural future.
