Craft Round Tables at Future Forum Lucerne 2020: This year’s motto; ‘More of Less’

The Future Forum Lucerne 2020 offered our research associate Dr. Bettina Minder and her ITC project Craft Round Tables the opportunity to explore the potential of manual and craft methods for the challenges of digital transformation. She tested various methods with motivated participants in three workshops. First Andrea Kumpe (HSLU School of Music) introduced participants to how to practice techniques from the field of music. Then Ewald Trachsel (HSLU School of Art & Design) challenged them with techniques from the field of carving, and finally an improvisation workshop with Marcel Altherr (HSLU School of Computer Science and Information Technology) and Alain Hofer (musician / Bern) followed.

All workshops were analysed immediately after the exercises together with the participants. ‘Openness’ emerged as an important topic: One participant said that the workshop enabled her to “move somewhere else” and “leave behind fixed ideas”. The topic of trust (e.g. in one’s own strengths and possibilities) was also frequently mentioned in the analysis. With regard to the communication of such non-disciplinary methods, the importance of a good ‘story’ and the use of technical/analytical terms in the moderation of the workshops became apparent.

The Craft Round Tables test series will be continued in autumn with a course for students at HSLU School of Computer Science and Information Technology. Special thanks go to the Vice Dean of HSLU School of Computer Science and Information Technology Ursula Sury who made the workshops at the Future Forum Lucerne possible.