Historical heritages and new practices, modern connections between design and craftsmanship in the "knowledge society"

Historically, between design and craftsmanship exists a complex relationship that nevertheless characterizes a typically Italian know-how; this know-how is consequently based on the coexistence of History-linked typological and figurative values, and original artifacts born from processes and product innovations. This peculiar condition implicates a certain “cultural coexistence” of a modern design system and artisan traditions. In Italian territories, this co-presence generates cooperative communities, supportive economies and shared expertises. This scenario is upgraded through the so-called “society of knowledge”, based on social activities that interpret the knowledge as a synonym of extended and participated democracy. A society, founded on the open access to technologies (in particular to ICTs), sees figures mainly linked to an exclusive relationship with certain types of tools or machines, giving way to those with wider skills and less constrained to specific practices. In the “society of knowledge” the most required professionalisms are those able to act on relational values, data management, decision making and creative strategies. We submit a propose of full paper aimed to critically analyze this contemporary scenario, in order to investigate on a range of models understanding the artifacts and practices born from the reinterpretation of historical heritages and new knowledge.