décembre 8, 2023
Glassmaking techniques inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Meeting
December 6 2023
We are delighted to inform you that knowledge, craft, and skills of handmade glass production have just been inscribed on the Representative list. This global recognition is an immense source of pride for all its craftspeople and partners.
On the 6th of December 2023, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, meeting in Kasane (Botswana), decided to add knowledge, craft, and skills of handmade glass production to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.
This application, coordinated by the French Ministry of Culture, was jointly nominated with the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, and Spain. Handmade glass production has certain specificities across the submitting states, but there are many common traits and steps in the production process.
Traditional handmade glass production entails shaping and decorating hot and cold glass to produce hollow glass objects, flat glass, and crown glass. It is characterized by the high degree of craftsmanship inherent to the work and by strong team values due to the need to respect the previous steps performed by other glassmakers. Most practitioners work in small or medium-sized glassworks or studios.
The knowledge and skills related to handmade glass production are transmitted within families or through apprenticeships in glassworks. The practice is also transmitted through formal training, such as in vocational schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. The characteristics of handmade glass production generate a strong sense of belonging, respect, and solidarity among practitioners.
This inclusion on the Representative List is the result of several years of cooperation and commitment from France, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, and Spain alongside fellow glassmakers and crystal makers, with the aim of promoting the beauty, diversity, and creativity of glassmaking among the general public.
Other documents:
https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/knowledge-craft-and-skills-of-handmade-glass-production-01961
https://ich.unesco.org/fr/RL/knowledge-craft-and-skills-of-handmade-glass-production-01961
Nomination, photos, film:
htps://ich.unesco.org/en/01248#1961
Elodie Gillet