Artisanal Intelligence

From 4 to 21 June 2026, the international exhibition Artisanal Intelligence will be on view at Maison Hannon in Brussels, presented as part of the New European Bauhaus Festival. It equally honours 160 years of friendship and diplomatic ties between Belgium and Japan.

The exhibition showcases the outcome of an international research residency programme organised by KNOTTO in collaboration with the European Union Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. 

The project explores the interaction between ancestral knowledge, craftsmanship and contemporary design, seeking sustainable visions for the future of the fashion and textile industry. After Kyoto and Riga, Brussels is the next stop on the project's European tour.

KNOTTO presents the five intercultural collaborations between creative professionals from Europe and Japan, as well as the five-part documentary.

Each of these projects sheds light on a different approach to craftsmanship – from silk weaving to ikebana, from socially responsible production to the transformation of materials. At the same time, they all demonstrate that craftsmanship is not merely a legacy of the past, but a living, evolving and contemporary practice capable of creating new dialogues between cultures, generations and ways of thinking.

Maison Hannon, a landmark of Belgian Art Nouveau, offers an especially meaningful setting for this project. From the late nineteenth century onwards, Art Nouveau developed through an intense dialogue with Japan, drawing inspiration from ukiyo-e prints, organic lines, vegetal motifs, the unity of the arts, and a renewed focus on craftsmanship. This historical encounter between contemporary creation, artisanal knowledge, and tradition resonates deeply with the philosophy of Artisanal Intelligence, making this exhibition particularly relevant. 

The exhibition invites visitors to think of craftsmanship not only as an aesthetic or historical phenomenon, but also as a socially, ecologically and culturally significant model for action. Today, when the fashion and textile industry faces the consequences of overproduction, waste of resources and standardisation, Artisanal Intelligence offers an alternative perspective – one in which knowledge, care, reciprocity, collaboration and sustainable development matter.

Public talks will be organised on Thursday 18 June and Friday 19 June 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).

Alongside the exhibition KNOTTO invites natural fibre specialist Bert Blancke of Fiberschool for a two-day workshop on the foraging and processing of local plant fibres in the garden of Maison Hannon.