The ‘digital handmade’: how 3D printing became a new craft technology
Craft is often associated with wooden chairs, pottery, and other items that are lovingly made by hand. A plastic 3D-printed object? Not so fast. Berto Pandolfo’s work, which is featured in the new exhibit at Kensington Contemporary, Sydney, challenges this rule. His side tables show that digital fabrication technologies like 3D printing offer new possibilities to designers with a […]
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Turner Prize win must not restrict Assemble’s work to the zone of ‘art’
In order to help me make sense of Assemble’s Turner Prize victory, I revisited the lecture given by 2003 Turner Prize-winner Grayson Perry in Liverpool in 2013. Grayson Perry offers advice on how to determine the boundaries of contemporary artwork. They include: Is the work in a museum? A professional artist made it. The “themepark plus suduko test”: does […]
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Bake, sew, throw: why crafts make compelling television
The Great British Bake Off’s final episode was the most-watched British TV event of 2015. More than 13 million tuned in to watch Nadiya’s tear-jerking speech. She made headlines around the world. Bake Off is a kitsch and twee show, with the contestants surrounded by bunting in a marquee on the grounds of an upscale country house. But its […]
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Namibian crafters: can indigenous knowledge and commerce coexist?
Local people in Namibia’s north-west give the tall palm tree the name Makalani. Makalani has a difficult meaning, but it is widely used in Namibia. The tree, also known as vegetable ivory palms, can produce up to 2,000 fruits in four seasons. Each fruit contains a nut. The tree is not harmed by harvesting the hard ivory-colored seeds. […]
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Rebel youth: how Britain’s woodcraft folk tried to change the world
Are the young people you know more likely to identify a Dalek or a magpie? The National Trust asserts that Daleks come up trumps, complaining that “nature is being exterminated from children’s lives.” Concerns about young people’s increasingly sedentary lifestyles and lack of exposure to nature have led to a number of popular outdoor endeavours including schemes to “rewild […]
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Stitching lives back together: men’s rehabilitation embroidery in WWI
Albert Biggs was a Sydney-born laborer who joined the Australian Imperial Force as Alfred Briggs on August 22, 1915. He was 23 years old when he arrived at Gallipoli. Biggs, who was part of the second reinforcements of the 20th battalion, fought to protect the Anzac’s trenches along the ridge called Russell’s Top. This is […]
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Knitting your way to a healthier, happier mind
What is the connection between knitting and neuroscience? The majority of people would not think that knitting and neuroscience have much in common. One involves yarn and needles, and the other is the study of the nervous system. Research reveals that knitting and yarn crafts, along with other meditative exercises, can activate areas of the mind that […]
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Art and design schools must cultivate creators, not theorists
The common perception of young people is that they are entitled, spoiled, tech-addicted, and self-absorbed. But, as the events of this year have shown, teenagers and young people are fiercely committed, strong, resilient, and determined to leave their mark on the world. As a retired professor of furniture construction and design at the Ontario College […]
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Why are ‘feminine’ crafts like basket weaving disparaged by politicians?
Basket weaving. Basket weaving. In an interview after Bill Shorten’s Budget reply Speech, Education Minister Simon Birmingham used the term this way. Birmingham reacted with disdain when Shorten committed to funding fees for TAFE, sneering at Labor’s “disastrous VET FEE HELP program which subsidised everything from basket weaving to energy healing.” Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen called this comment an […]
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Craft in Australia: let’s not forget the real value of the handmade
Bill Shorten said in his May budget response speech, “coding is literacy for the 21st Century.” It is important to remember the importance of Australian crafts culture and the beauty of handmade products, especially in light of the potential of technology replacing our jobs. Melbourne will host its first international jewelry festival, Radiant Pavilion, in September. This […]
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