Designer(as)Craftsperson︎︎︎
There has always been this great rivalry between practitioners of Design & Fine Art,
being specific in their differences, but they are united in refusing to describe themselves
as craftspeople.
Key to the way we talk about the practice of craft is the Presence of Hand.
The hand is an important metaphor for the significance of the individual in Craft-
It’s central to the symbolism surrounding the historic tension between man and machine;
but more recently between local industry & global industry.
Principle to the Presence of Hand are tools; rooted in specific techniques,
each defining its own practice, not unlike the design disciplines we hold so dear-
from Typography to Motion, to Publication Design & so forth.
Furthermore, Craft is often described as a practice surrounding a specific set of materials.
Anyone calling themselves a Designer or Artist today employs a wide range of tools and media;
and engage with the ideas surrounding each practice and its inherent “Craft.”
Not so unlike Craft Practices... Associated with their specific tools and material.
There has always been this great rivalry between practitioners of Design & Fine Art,
being specific in their differences, but they are united in refusing to describe themselves
as craftspeople.
Key to the way we talk about the practice of craft is the Presence of Hand.
The hand is an important metaphor for the significance of the individual in Craft-
It’s central to the symbolism surrounding the historic tension between man and machine;
but more recently between local industry & global industry.
Principle to the Presence of Hand are tools; rooted in specific techniques,
each defining its own practice, not unlike the design disciplines we hold so dear-
from Typography to Motion, to Publication Design & so forth.
Furthermore, Craft is often described as a practice surrounding a specific set of materials.
Anyone calling themselves a Designer or Artist today employs a wide range of tools and media;
and engage with the ideas surrounding each practice and its inherent “Craft.”
Not so unlike Craft Practices... Associated with their specific tools and material.
︎︎︎Craft Theory
“In its simplest form, the term Craft stands exactly for the making of things. ‘Dually, Craft practice is so often aligned surrounding a specific set of materials. “
Like the rules of Gestalt, we hold so dear, defining us as Designers- we must create new rules, new facets to which we hold ourselves when we describe ourselves as Designer(as)Craftsperson.
“In its simplest form, the term Craft stands exactly for the making of things. ‘Dually, Craft practice is so often aligned surrounding a specific set of materials. “
Like the rules of Gestalt, we hold so dear, defining us as Designers- we must create new rules, new facets to which we hold ourselves when we describe ourselves as Designer(as)Craftsperson.
Facets of Craft ︎︎︎
Touch & Sight
Touch: it’s a catalyst for sight. There is an idea of touch that prevails in my practice of Craft- feeling paper, looking for a texture that holds ink, or buying fabric by feel, imagining the way ink might fall into the cracks.
John Berger says “Seeing is believing”- but sight alone is not enough- it is touch that looks past interpretation, finding a deeper level of understanding.
Touch: it’s a catalyst for sight. There is an idea of touch that prevails in my practice of Craft- feeling paper, looking for a texture that holds ink, or buying fabric by feel, imagining the way ink might fall into the cracks.
John Berger says “Seeing is believing”- but sight alone is not enough- it is touch that looks past interpretation, finding a deeper level of understanding.
Research & Meaning
Like Sight and Touch, Meaning and Research go hand in hand- one cannot express the meaning of what they feel...without research, without context because if you don’t say it, no one knows what’s in your head.
Meaning makes work the antithesis of emptiness; there is tangible realness, a weight to the objects and experiences we create.
Like Sight and Touch, Meaning and Research go hand in hand- one cannot express the meaning of what they feel...without research, without context because if you don’t say it, no one knows what’s in your head.
Meaning makes work the antithesis of emptiness; there is tangible realness, a weight to the objects and experiences we create.
Restraint/Not
Craft is explosive, kitschy, and utterly wild- and it isn't. The essence of interpreted craft is marriage of restraint as well as a lack of one.
It’s a means for the process in which craft is made-
it is both a representation of the standards that carry current design thinking- and keeps it on its toes.
Craft is explosive, kitschy, and utterly wild- and it isn't. The essence of interpreted craft is marriage of restraint as well as a lack of one.
It’s a means for the process in which craft is made-
it is both a representation of the standards that carry current design thinking- and keeps it on its toes.
Process & Execution
Craft is defined by the process in which it is made, & dually, Craft is what makes design a maker’s profession.
The process is the documented journey we take in the completion of a task, it’s the execution that sees all theindividual parts working together.
Craft is defined by the process in which it is made, & dually, Craft is what makes design a maker’s profession.
The process is the documented journey we take in the completion of a task, it’s the execution that sees all theindividual parts working together.