Jorge Muñoz is a Valencian Industrial Design Engineer whose main research work revolves around the integration of traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design practices. He holds an Industrial Design Engineering degree from Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and a master’s degree in Design for Emergent Futures from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and Fab Lab Barcelona, where he developed his research focusing on sustainable production methodologies

His vision centers on a ‘renaissance’ of crafts being both a sustainable and distributed model of production. Jorge explores how artisanal knowledge and techniques can address modern environmental challenges while preserving cultural heritage. Through open-source methodologies and direct collaboration with artisans, he works to create networks that democratize production knowledge and empower local communities.

As an educator, Jorge tries to bring a critical approach to his teaching, focusing on the applications and implications of emerging technologies in the different disciplines. His research continues to investigate the dialogue between traditional craftsmanship values and “emergent” technological possibilities, seeking ways toward more resilient and meaningful design solutions that question established production systems.

Projects

AI.RTISANSHIP

At the intersection of tradition and technology, AI.RTISANSHIP attempts to analyze what characterizes artisanal work, if there is an essence to it, and if this essence can be transmitted. Using computer vision detection systems, different artisans were recorded using their craft technique on the pottery wheel, and then this data was used in a machine learning process with the aim of digitizing, preserving, and “teaching” this valuable cultural heritage.

As a result of the experiment, it was possible to conclude that craftspersonship and its expression go beyond technique. For good practice, a connection between hand and head is required. According to sociologist Richard Sennett, the good artisan integrates thought and action in a constant dialogue between concrete practices and thinking, which is based on direct experience, practice, and the obstacles and resistances that the artisan encounters, which foster the development of skill and understanding. All previous experiences shape practice and vice versa. For this reason, artisanal knowledge becomes personal and unique.

Just as we cannot find two identical leaves on a tree, we will never find two identical vessels, even when they are created using the same technique. This uniqueness is not accidental but essential to the nature of the artisanal object, as each piece materializes an unrepeatable moment of interaction between the artisan, the material, and the specific circumstances.

When attempting to capture this process through computer vision, a paradox is created: digitization records movements but cannot capture the decision taking process, the tactile responses to the behavior of the clay, or the mental state of the artisan. This unique decision making methods not only justify the importance of preserving the artisanal process but also raises the following question: how can we faithfully preserve something whose essence lies precisely in its unrepeatability?

If, as Sennett argues, it is the obstacles and resistances encountered that develop artisanal practice and understanding, shouldn’t we focus our efforts on preserving this process of obstacles and resistance rather than the technique itself?