How might we revalue traditional ways of making?

The Maakin Lab project was developed in partnership with the Shetland College Department of Textiles and Design, On the Edge research and artist Susan Benn of PAL. The research challenge offered up by the project partners was how to revalue traditional Shetland knitting in terms of its relevance in the lives and livelihoods of Shetland people. Although indigenous Fair Isle pattern and the fine Shetland lace knitting are known world wide, the different socio-economic picture in the wake of the oil boom of the 70's and the old fashioned image knitting has for many of the younger Shetlanders contributed to the decline of interest in the knitting. Finding ways to revalue these forms of making in artistic-cultural, and economic terms was a complex question