Tangible Connection
Yang Lan & Natalie Melton, Global Design Forum 2026
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In a digitally dominated world, what role can craft play in informing contemporary design? For Sun Media Group’s Yang Lan, in conversation with Crafts Council’s Executive Director Natalie Melton, the answer lies in fostering both engagement and personal expression.
From being neglected and ignored to becoming a central part of the conversation, designers, luxury brands and fashion labels are now all looking to craft. ‘There is a strong momentum to find something unique, a way to explore our own cultural identity. This huge interest is driving demand that manufacturers and now new talents are growing up to meet,’ says Lan.
This conversation then, held on 14 September at the Victoria & Albert Museum, is well timed, a chance to unpick why craft is resonating with people so strongly. For Lan, craft is a persuasive counterpoint to people’s concerns about new technology. ‘The development of AI is giving us an opportunity to re-evaluate human intelligence and our relationship with nature and each other, our inner world. With craft it is about the process, not just the result. It teaches us how to live more like a human than a machine,’ she explains.
For many designers, craft’s appeal also lies in its capacity to foster deep connections. ‘There is so much that is beyond our control, but I think that for designers there is a power in individual discovery. The experience people have when they engage in craft is so profound, it can be a powerful way to feel grounded and centred,’ says Melton. Lan adds: ‘There is a big imbalance between humans and nature. In the past anything industrialised was good and progressive, but now we want to be connected with nature, not stranded in a cement forest; it’s a physiological need. For contemporary design, craft is a way to meet these needs.’
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‘There is so much that is beyond our control, but I think that for designers there is a power in individual discovery,' – Natalie Melton
Both Lan and Melton agree that there is no shortage of young designers looking to engage with process. ‘This is not just about one or two geniuses, rather this is a whole generation of creatives who seek the opportunity to express themselves through craft. Young designers are finding something unique to their own cultural identity. When we see young minds encountering old traditions, new ideas blossom. It’s not just an exchange of objects but the cultivation of young minds,’ explains Lan. Melton adds: The brilliant thing about now, is that the new generation of designers coming through are discovering crafts and thinking how they can adapt and evolve. This stops craft from ossifying, and keeps it alive and relevant.’
Ultimately, for Melton, craft is the perfect expression of human embodied intelligence. As designers increasingly search for ways to combat the threat of machine intelligence, craft becomes an obvious choice. Yet despite the momentum, there remain challenges. ‘Is it enough to be satisfied with craft as an antidote to our over-processed lives, a nice way to create some space and calm in our busyness? Or should we be thinking far more actively about how craft thinking can galvanise us to make a more equitable and viable future?’ she asks.
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‘In an age of artificial intelligence we need to rediscover the intelligence of our hands,' – Yang Lan
For Lan the answer lies in remembering the skills that partly define us as human: ‘In an age of artificial intelligence we need to rediscover the intelligence of our hands. Craft is about people, where AI causes separation, craft creates real, tangible connection. It grounds us and supports us emotionally. This is why people will continue to value craft. AI is a warning call, an alarm to wake up, we have to be more rather than less human.’
Words by Tamsin Kingswell
