Artisanal Intelligence

From June 4 to 21, 2026, the international exhibition Artisanal Intelligence will be presented at the Maison Hannon in Brussels, as part of the New European Bauhaus Festival. It also honors the 160 years of friendship and diplomatic ties between Belgium and Japan. The exhibition presents the results of an international research residency program organized by KNOTTO in collaboration with the European Union Pavilion at the Exposition Universelle 2025 in Osaka. The project explores the interaction between ancestral knowledge, craftsmanship, and contemporary design, in search of sustainable visions for the future of the fashion and textile industry. Après Kyoto and Riga, Brussels is the next stop on the project's European tour. KNOTTO presents the five intercultural collaborations between designers from Europe and master artisans from Japan, as well as a five-part documentary. Each of these projects highlights a different approach to craftsmanship — from silk weaving to ikebana, from socially responsible production to material transformation. All demonstrate that craftsmanship is not simply a legacy of the past, but a living, contemporary, and evolving practice, capable of creating new dialogues between cultures, generations, and ways of thinking. La Maison Hannon, a jewel of the Belgian Art Nouveau, offers a particularly significant setting for this project. From the end of the 19th century, the Art Nouveau developed through an intense dialogue with Japan, drawing inspiration from ukiyo-e prints, organic lines, plant motifs, the unity of the arts, and a renewed interest in craftsmanship. This historical encounter between contemporary creation, artisanal knowledge, and tradition resonates deeply with the philosophy of Artisanal Intelligence. The exhibition invites visitors to consider craftsmanship not only as an aesthetic or historical phenomenon, but also as a model of socially, ecologically, and culturally significant action. Today, as the fashion and textile industry faces the consequences of overproduction, resource waste, and standardization, Artisanal Intelligence offers an alternative perspective — in which knowledge, meticulousness, reciprocity, collaboration, and sustainable development are essential. Conferences will be organized on Thursday, June 18 and Friday, June 19 by the following experts: Ariane Heystraeten (The Linen Project Belgium), Benoît Stéphenne (Ateliers Tournaisiens de Tapisserie), Véronique Closon (Duo en résonnance) and Miki Tatsuro (Miki Tatsuro Architectes). In addition to the exhibition, KNOTTO invites natural fiber specialist Bert Blancke from the Fiberschool for a two-day workshop dedicated to the gathering and transformation of local plant fibers in the garden of the Maison Hannon.