Silver craftsmanship is part of the common European heritage which has developed since ancient times and flourished in the mediaeval era and the subsequent historic periods till contemporary times. In many occasions, the craft of silversmithery developed to a fine art and produced an impressive array of both ecclesiastical and secular objects, including household and jewellery items, as well as weapons and coins. Techniques and design motifs travelled across Europe and were cross-fertilised with local traditions and local technology. A common heritage developed which is visibly shared between the southwest and the southeast of Europe, including the whole of the Balkan peninsula. The present project examines this common heritage as well as the modern manifestations of silver art and crafts, aiming to provide useful "ground material" to artists and craftsmen working with silver, and encourage them to draw further inspiration from the shared European tradition.

The project has a duration of one year, starting 1 st October 2004 and ending 30 th September 2005 and is based in Greece, Spain and Bulgaria.