Snippets of Identity

For centuries, craftsmen were a constant presence in Kraków’s urban landscape. As custodians of guild knowledge, they played significant roles in social life and co-created a micro-world of mutual dependencies. They formed an essential part of the identity of Kraków’s districts.

Walnut chair. Solid wood furniture inside a small artisan workshop

At the beginning of the 21st century, advancing gentrification pushed craftsmen to the margins of social life, leading to the inevitable decline of many small workshops. Only those who were able to adapt to the new reality survived. The new era has redefined the very notion of craftsmanship. The craftsman has become partly an artist, partly a businessman — someone capable of finding a niche within the market and taking advantage of favorable economic conditions.

Craftsman working in the Drewniano woodworking workshop in Krakow

Interior of a traditional woodworking workshop

Dust and soundsystem of a traditional woodworking workshop

The reportage is part of a documentary project by the Babel Images collective.