The craft in the cultural and creative industries- underestimated engine for innovations?

The area of ​​the cultural and creative industries (KKW) is considered one of the future-oriented industries. Its importance for both society and economy is particularly evident in the fact that it is seen as a driving force for innovative developments in products and services.

In the switch to a knowledge -based economy, this sector plays an important pioneering role. The economic importance of the cultural and creative industries should not be underestimated.

In 2021, around 226,000 companies with around 1.81 million people together generated total sales of 175.4 billion euros. This area contributes to the added value of the Federal Republic at around 103.7 billion euros and can now measure itself against traditional branches of industry. It is somewhat above the level of mechanical engineering and in front of other industries such as the automotive industry, financial services, energy supply or chemical industry ( see sources #1 and #2 ).

Source: Statista

The NPC acts as an important economic factor that is of great importance for this country and people both economically and innovatively.

The sub -markets of the creative industries

The entire economic sector recorded impressive figures in 2021, especially in the area of ​​software and games industry . With an annual turnover of over 56 billion euros, this industry dominates the market and thus generates an impressive 29 percent of the total revenue. In addition, the software/games industry was able to record the highest added value within the industry (considerable 36.4 percent).

advertising and pressing market also presented themselves as significant areas of the cultural and creative industries, each with almost 30 billion euros in sales.

The design industry leads the list of most companies in this industry, with over 52,000 companies, including sole proprietorship. The software/games industry and the architecture industry follow in the places, with around 41,000 or 35,000 companies involved.

According to the monitoring report Cultural and Creative Economy in 2022 of the Federal Ministry of Economics, the art market in terms of value creation and sales are surprisingly one of the smallest sub-markets of the NPPs. This includes in particular the many visual artists as well as galleries, the art trade and the auction houses and museum shops.

This fact was a bit surprising for us, especially for us, when, from our point of view, the art market takes a special place within the multifaceted KKW. It continuously sets new impulses and significantly shapes the art world.

Nevertheless, around  EUR billion implemented in the German Art Market in 2021. The most important sales of sales are eliminated with the retail trade (37.8 %) and the independent visual artists (34.8 %). Both the artists and the museums recorded declining sales in 2021. A total of 44,405 people were employed in the art market ( see source #1 ).

So far, an important area of ​​the German economy, namely the craft , has not been explicitly mentioned as part of the NPPs. This is particularly noteworthy, since many craft businesses are known to carry out diverse cultural and creative management activities.

For example, artificial glass church windows produce, experienced metal builders manufacture organic metal facade elements for modern architecture, painters and painters enliven historical rooms with colors of past eras again, and organ and harmonium builders sell high-quality instruments worldwide.

Isn't the concept of the creative industries precisely enough or even poor by excluding the contribution of the craft? "

The basis of the definition and delimitation of the KKW to date form the recommendations of the Economic Ministers' Conference at their meetings in June and December 2009.

It may be classified in the future to expand handicraft -specific activities.

In the past no separation of art and craft

In the past, painters and sculptors were skillful craftsmen, who mostly started their artistry in the service of the rich and powerful. Emperor, kings, princes and clergymen commissioned them to design portraits, historical scenes and religious representations.

The topics and orders were specified by the clients at the time, so that the artists had hardly any scope for their own creative ideas. Art was primarily considered a manual ability and less than an expression of individual visions.

The name of the “artist” as an independent and creative creator only developed later. In France, the first differentiation was made in 1647 with the founding of the Royal Academy of the Painters and Sculptor ( Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture ). This step marked an important step in the recognition of artists as independent personalities who were not only talented by craftsmanship, but were also artistically inspired.

Today, art and craft merge into a harmonious unit in the concept of “handicrafts” , in which both aesthetic design and manual skills are valued alike.

Culture and creative management activities of the craft too little attention?

This question was already investigated in 2011 on behalf of the then Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology . A comprehensive analysis of cultural and creative management activities in the craft was commissioned and a study was carried out.

This was created in cooperation with the economic Institute for Mittelstand and Crafts at the University of Göttingen and the Office for Cultural Economics Research in Cologne . The results promise to provide deeper insights into the significant potential of the craft within this sector ( see source #3 ).

Two main goals were followed in the analysis of the manual activities . On the one hand, reliable figures on the craft should be collected within the core area of ​​the cultural economy. On the other hand, data on creative management activities in the craft should be recorded that go beyond the core area. This means that manual activities and associated branches should be identified, which although corresponding to the principles of the NPPs, but have not yet been taken into account in the concepts of the conference of the Ministers.

In the following we refer to excerpts.

In the course of the study, it came to the realization that this branch of industry has a constant change, which is why the structure model must remain flexible. In this sense, in this sense, the involvement of further branches such as musical instrument production, handicrafts and photography is already being discussed.

This indicates that, in addition to the previously known eleven sub-markets, there are other areas in which many companies operate cultural and creative economy, also in the craft .

In this economic sector it can be seen that it is characterized by its innovative activities. Due to his unique problem-solving competence, he is in close contact with his customers and offers a variety of training and qualification options in the field of design. In this way, he combines innovation, creativity, design and design in an impressive way.

creative act and a "work" - analogous to the fine arts . It can therefore be argued that the products and services of the craft in the KKW create significant added value.

In addition, in study 7, fields of activity of the craft described within the cultural and creative economy spectrum:

1. Restoration / preservation of the cultural heritage
2. Preservation of traditional cultural techniques
3. Design / design
4. Building culture
5. Crafts / Applied Art
6. Musical instrument construction
7. Creative services

Furthermore, some important craft branches were examined in detail in the form of profile. This included:

• Photographer
• Violin builder
• Glass and porcelain painters
• Gold and silversmith
• Ceramist
• Painter and painter
• Parquet
• Sign and light clay manufacturers
• Stonemason and stone sculptor
• Carpenter
• Bookbinder
• Watchmaker
• Textile hand printer
• Building industry
• Body and vehicle manufacturers
• Organ and harmonium builders

Study results and recommendations

The Résumé can be classified in this way that a revision of the classification of the culture and creative industries, taking into account the contributions of the craft, is recommended.

For 2010, around 15,700 companies were recorded in 22 industries as part of the investigation. These employed almost 48,000 employees who generated sales of around 3.4 billion euros. Most craft companies worked in the areas of "photography" and "Production of jewelry, gold and silversmiths".

According to the results of the empirical survey, a total of 55,232 craft companies were mostly active in cultural and creative economy. The craft therefore provides about 5.4 % of all companies within this industry with 4.4 % of all workers and 2.6 % of sales.

Exemplary examples of the art of craftsmanship from practice

Up to this point, we have primarily devoted ourselves to a scientific-theoretical classification of art-like and creative contributions from the craft for our economy and determine how diverse and substantial these services are for our added value.

Now we would like to take a closer look at a few impressive examples from the practice that reinforce the results of the empirical analysis cited above.

Plumber can be art

Apart from the fact that both words start with a "K", you cannot necessarily make an association with the first thought. But far from it. Numerous examples from practice demonstrate a remarkable connection between plumbering and artistry.

For example, we take an old fort in the port entrance of Marseille, which was converted into a museum in 2013 and is now part of the "Museum of Civilizations in Europe and the Mediterranean" . The Fort St. Jean, built in 1660 by Louis XIV, once served as a defense system against insurgent residents in southern France. After various usage purposes, including prison and barracks, the fortress was rebuilt as part of the 2013 Capital of Culture.

A modern design hall made of classic reddish building materials with disguised copper elements captivates the visitors. The use of perforated copper in different lengths and arrangements gives the building a unique aesthetics. The union of historical fortress and contemporary museum creates a fascinating world of experience for visitors - especially for lovers of modern plumber technology from Germany.

Another attraction made of copper . After leaving the veiled staircase and entering the upper platform, you are greeted by an impressive work of art made of copper pipes , which donates pleasant shade to visitors. The pipes were artfully devoured into a confused structure in elaborate bending work that is reminiscent of the filigree tendrils of a wine vine.

This impressive construction invites you to go closer and marvel at the many details that are revealed in the artistic network of copper. It is a masterpiece of metal art and an eye -catcher that amazes visitors ( see source #4 ).

Ulrich Berthold from Gersdorf also proves that plumber can have a creative streak The trained plumber has been committed to his artistic passion for 32 years. His skills are not only limited to the repair of taps and gas flocks, because in his modest garage he has been raising impressive works of art for decades.

He recently gave the public a fascinating insight into his work through an impressive exhibition of his works, as the Free Press reported ( see source #5 ).

cf. Quelle #6 also shows that the plumber is real craftsmanship about the young Christoph Beier , who completed his training at the roofing and plumbing company Leib in Moorweis ( Bavaria) .

Incidentally, it often happens that plumber and plant mechanic are confused with each other for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology. This error has a historical cause. In the past, it was common for installers to do plumber work. Even today there are still plumber that also offer sanitary services from a single source, such as pipe cleaning Munich from the sanitary specialist company N&J GbR.

The plumber's core activities actually include bending, folding, cutting and welding sheets in workshops or on construction sites to put them in the desired shape. From these workpieces, components for metal roofs and facades are created, which also attach or repair the craftsmen. In addition, they take care of elements such as racks, air pipes and window sills.

In addition to these tasks, plumber also produces handicraft objects, for example ornaments, lanterns, vases or the classic weather tap. These activities require a high degree of manual skill, good hand-eye coordination and care.

Overall, the plumber's profession is extremely versatile and demanding because it requires both manual skills and artistic talent.

The profession of plumber or copper smith is undoubtedly one of the most traditional crafts, the origins of which can be traced back to the old Egypt. We learn this when visiting the European plumber and copper smithy museum in Karlstadt, Lower Franconia.

The museum, wrapped in a futuristic building, houses an impressive collection of old machines, tools, documents as well as journeyman and masterpieces from the Spengler, plumber, flashing, sheet metal and copper smithy. The Munich plumber also exhibited a workshop there. A visit is therefore absolutely recommended for people who work professionally with metals.

This museum not only commemorates the millennia -old tradition of these trades, but also presents modern and pioneering techniques in these professional fields with great passion.

The stonemason - craftsman and artist in personnel union

How artistic as well as manual skills for a job description can be observed well at the stonemason of Franke Naturstein ( see source #7 ). Here you refer to poetic job descriptions such as

The stonemason is kept timeless beauty. "

However, the employees of the company can only partially confirm this if they look at their practice. Restoration work undoubtedly occupies an important place in our field of activity. Special sensitivity is required here to counteract and preserve the damage caused by pollution from church stairs, facades, sculptor reliefs or monuments.

When implementing new natural stone projects, the stonemasons are required to bring in their own creativity and develop innovative solutions.

In addition to tombstalls, memorial sites, monument conservation and restoration, the various tasks of a stonemason also include artistic activities such as the design of new sculptures or still images. They are also involved in construction and landscape design projects.

Tobias Kabel, too, we get an exciting insight into the job as a stonemason. In the following video, he shows us how one of his best workpieces is made: a pointed sheet tracery window with a four -pass made of sandstone.

Final words

Both from the theoretical consideration, scientific analysis and from practical observation, we have a clear picture: The craft without a doubt makes a remarkable contribution to the cultural and creative industries. It leads an elementary contribution to our economic performance and is a strong engine for wealth of ideas and innovations.

Insofar as we have information, however, there was still no new classification by the conferences of Economics Ministers, including the value -adding shares of the craft in the Sector of the NPP.

However, the need for this remains! We will see what the future brings.

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza. Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.

www.kunstplaza.de/