Intelligent hands, intelligent minds
The Future is Handcrafted
At House of Manus, we believe the work of highly skilled hands is of inestimable worth. House of Manus brings together a network of first-class craft businesses, consultancy expertise and an elite academy for aspiring craftspeople that can provide genuine future prospects in the field of high-end artisan manufacturing.
It wasn’t just their brains that enabled our ancestors to develop into modern humans, it was also their hands. Once upper limbs were freed from the task of providing locomotion, they discovered a plethora of new faculties. Today’s humans, too, are about more than just their brains; they are a unique combination of mind and body, of head and hand. And the skilled and purposeful use of those hands, which spawned the world of materials and tools, is a basic human impulse that has time and again produced extraordinary achievements and led to new heights of sophistication.
The hand, or “manus” in Latin, represents our ability to shape our world – and the beauty that can result when we put our hands to expert use. Working with our hands is thus a deeply philosophical undertaking, one that expresses the desire to do a job well for its own sake.
“Craftsmanship names an enduring basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for its own sake.”
Richard Sennett
New perspectives on traditional skills
House of Manus is an ambitious project for exceptionally ambitious people. Our aim is not just to preserve endangered artisan practices, but also to ensure they have a viable future – by facilitating the productive application of rich craft traditions, be it in silversmithing, textile art, glassblowing or working with porcelain. It’s high time for a new appreciation of the manual skills that can enrich our lives with things of genuine beauty – and that are fundamental to our new definition of luxury.
At House of Manus, we want to put manual intelligence at the heart of a movement that seeks to bolster the autonomy and agency of professional artisans, a movement of trendsetting consumers who consciously choose things of intrinsic value and enduring quality – driven by a desire for more sustainable consumption, more profound experiences and sensory enrichment of their lives. Favouring handcrafted originals over mass-produced goods will come to be seen as an integral part of a successful and pleasurable life, and as something worth paying an appropriate price for. What they reward us with is their “emotional durability,” the unique relationship we form with them.
“A realm of intimate, personal power is developing – power of the individual to conduct his own education, find his own inspiration, shape his own environment, and share his adventure with whoever is interested.”
Whole Earth Catalogue, 1968
Investing in the future of craft
What sets House of Manus apart is that we combine training and consulting with a network of artisan businesses. These are makers we invest in directly and whose businesses strategies we realign to enhance their future prospects. That investment programme is complemented by the work of our in-house school, House of Manus Academy, which provides both practical and theoretical teaching in the fields of philosophy, design and business.
Our long-term aim is for House of Manus Academy, with the support of our network of international experts, to serve as a think-tank and a driver of societal discourse about the future and potential of craft businesses. The academy aims to provide orientation, not only to youngsters and students but to established professional artisans too – and to help managers and directors of artisan manufacturers give their activities a firmer cultural footing. First and foremost, House of Manus sees itself as a supporter of all those pursuing a more discerning and sustainable form of consumption, one that can enrich our lives via high-quality, exceptionally beautiful objects – and via authentic experiences.