Through its residency programme, Hors Pistes fosters creative exchanges between craftspeople and designers from around the world. Over the course of a month, they pool their skills and cultural backgrounds, drawing inspiration from the identity of the surrounding region.
The residencies encourage the transmission of traditional craft skills, whilst also exploring their heritage and future by proposing new applications for traditional techniques.
A true transdisciplinary laboratory, Hors Pistes challenges conventional production methods and invents innovative creative processes, off the beaten track. In 2014, the CID hosted the first Hors Pistes. Ouagadougou initiative. In 2019, it became the first museum to host the third edition of the project: Hors Pistes. Nuuk.
This new residency took place in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, an island with limited natural resources and a harsh climate. Traditional craft techniques take these geographical constraints into account. Inuit culture stems from the land that sustains it. Artisans draw their inspiration from nature and work with materials such as stone, wood, earth, wool, and the skins and bones of the animals they hunt. Already altered in the last century by various exchanges with the West, Inuit cultural traditions are changing as a result of globalisation. Once essential for survival, fishing and hunting are now practised less and less, affecting crafts directly linked to them, such as working with animal skins or making kayaks.
The exhibition Hors Pistes. Nuuk invites visitors to discover Greenlandic craftsmanship, placing people at the heart of exchanges with Greenland. The experiments, prototypes and objects resulting from research carried out during the residency reflect the uniqueness of each encounter. The exhibition also shares the stories born of this context, brought to life by the editorial team.
