The Intangibles: Values of Heritage Products for Design and Sustainability Initiatives

Values are attributed to products over time and across generations. They are created, compiled, shared, evolved, exchanged, and also discarded. However, creating an explicit theory and analysis on this subject is challenging due to the abstract and multifaceted nature of the topic with a plethora of theories from various research communities. To manage this complexity, this research focuses on the concept of values in association with heritage products: products that are inherited from the previous generation, in material and immaterial forms. The exploration entails identifying values of heritage products and their potential applications in design and sustainability initiatives.

This research has been divided into two parts. Part 1 focuses on understanding and identifying the values of heritage products and Part 2 presents the adaptation of values of heritage products as a creative resource in design and sustainability initiatives. This exploration is framed against the backdrop of the cultural economy which connects the craft and design domains, includes the discourse of the intangible cultural heritage, and brings forward the craft industry as the empirical context.