What is CULTURALITY?
CULTURALITY will research the current landscape for craft practitioners across Europe and explore how creative and culinary industries in rural areas currently interact with tourism, and how they could in the future.
Over four years, organisations and universities in Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Estonia, Romania and Slovenia will be collaborating to generate data to support digital archives, and a virtual platform. At the same time, physical research events will be held to listen to the voices of the creative sector in rural areas: the idea being to create conversations and concepts to help design new ‘Rural Events’ and generate sustainable forms of income for creative practitioners.
Culturaility is an international network of consortium partners, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, with the Scottish partners funded by Innovate UK.
Read Carol Sinclair’s blog about the CULTURALITY Project Kick-Off Meeting in Oviedo in April 2024.
How is this going to happen?
The Project is divided into a number of work packages focusing on data collection, education, 360° scanning and networking opportunities – to name but a few!
There are also a series of ‘Rural Spots’ and ‘Living Labs’ during which creative practitioners are asked (and paid!) to participate in, and contribute their voices to the research and ultimately the design of the Rural Events in 2027/28.
Read Clare Waddle’s blog and Netty Sopata’s blog about AAS hosting its first Rural Spot event on the Isle of Lewis in November 2024, the very first of partners’ nine European rural events.
Why is Applied Arts Scotland involved?
Applied Arts Scotland is run by makers for makers and has an opportunity to amplify the voices of Scottish craft practitioners in this Project. We will be placing call outs to AAS Members for paid opportunities at our ‘Rural Spots’ and ‘Living Labs’. We will also be reaching out to makers to complete fieldwork interviews and scanning of their studios. At the same time we will be working alongside the team from the Open Virtual Worlds at the University of St Andrews to deliver digital, cross border networking opportunities exploring the use of immersive, virtual reality.
Living Lab
Invite to CULTURALITY Connections Day
As part of CULTURALITY, Applied Arts Scotland is hosting a Living Lab in Nethy Bridge 5 – 9 October 2026. In the immersive, hands-on workshop two small and diverse groups will explore and collaboratively develop these ideas:
- Craft as Connection proposes developing a flexible framework that helps artists, heritage organisations and rural communities create hands‑on, place‑based making experiences rooted in local materials, stories and traditions. Using Scottish straw craft as an example, the project will explore how making by hand can deepen visitor connection to rural creative life, moving beyond simple craft workshops toward meaningful cultural engagement. The Living Lab will create and test an initial version of this framework and a prototype visitor journey for future use across Scotland.
- Crafting Futures: A Manifesto uses optimism, ecological awareness and imaginative “refuturing” to strengthen collaboration and resilience within craft communities. Drawing on ideas such as rewilding the imagination and designing with local ecology, the concept explores new, sustainable approaches to craft practice beyond tourism‑driven pressures. Participants will co‑create a manifesto aimed at fostering hope, community building and practical strategies for a more sustainable creative future.
As part of the Living Lab, we are hosting a day for connections, networking and discussion around the two ideas above.
This will be held at The Dell, Nethy Bridge, 10:00-15:00, Thursday 8 October 2026. Lunch will be provided.
This is a unique opportunity to network with those involved in craft and tourism in rural Scotland, and to engage with and respond to the ideas that have been developed through the Living Lab.
The event is free to attend. Please register your interest, or email Kate McLaughlin at culturality@appliedartsscotland.org.uk.
Making Place: Heritage in Action & Cultivate
11:15-13:00, Friday 16 October 2026
11:00-15:00, Saturday 17 October 2026
Highland Folk Museum / Taigh-tasgaidh Sluagh na Gaidhealtachd
Free
A two-day gathering inviting you to explore craft in the context of place, considering the heritage of the Scottish Highlands through traditional and contemporary craft demonstrations and talks; exclusive access to the Museum Collections Store and workshops exploring how this heritage can shape the future of contemporary creative communities in Scotland.
You will have the opportunity to learn more about CULTURALITY, including how to contribute your own artefacts to be 3D scanned by The Open Virtual Worlds team from the University of St Andrews for inclusion in VERA — an online platform cataloguing the work of creative practitioners from across Europe in 3D.
Discover more about the talks programmes on each day, and the maker demonstrations taking place throughout the open-air Museum. Booking is required for the talks programmes with tickets available for both days or one day.
Recent Activity
Consortium Visits
AAS’s CULTURALITY Project Team regularly meet with their Consortium partners – 13 organisations from nine different European countries – to deepen project collaboration and drive forward its mission. Visit the CULTURALITY blog series to read about the team’s reflections and observations on these visits, including to Ljubljana, Estonia and Sweden.
Rural Spot
On Thursday 12 and Friday 13 September 2025 we held our second ‘Rural Spot’ activity, a 24 hour creative discussion bringing together a small group of practitioners in the Cairngorms National Park to explore and exchange ideas on the role of creativity in shaping, sustaining and reimagining rural economies.
Following an open call, we selected four rural Scotland based makers whose creative practices, experience and geographical locations connect to creative rural tourism and will support and inform the AAS CULTURALITY Project Team’s research at this stage of the Project. They (and their disciplines) are:
- Amy Ferguson Niven, The Third Aye (metal)
- Lucy MacDonald, Arra Textiles (textiles)
- Patricia Shone (ceramics)
- Aaron Sterritt Woodwork (wood)
Read the AAS CULTURALITY Team’s reflections on the Rural Spot.
Share your insights
Your experiences and insight into local craft and cultural traditions are essential to our research. Please take a few minutes to complete a short, confidential survey focussing on the value of traditional skills in your community, both tangible (e.g. materials, patterns and techniques) and intangible (e.g. music, storytelling and food).
Your responses will help us to shape new ways to support and promote craft heritage and making practices in rural and remote areas across Europe.
Want to know more?
If you are interested in learning more about CULTURALITY, you can:
- sign up to AAS’s regular newsletters and keep an eye on our socials
- email one of the Project Team – Carol Sinclair, Netty Sopata or Clare Waddle – aasculturailty@gmail.com.
- Read the CULTURALITY blog series
Please visit the Artefact Gallery for profiles of artefacts, artisans and cultural practices that partners are engaging with and establishing as key areas of investigation.
