what is craft : modern craft

Since finishing the book Zeros + Ones, I have been reading some papers around the subjects of online communities and craft.

In the Editorial Introduction to the new journal, Modern Craft, I found this about this interesting and pragmatic discussion of 'what is craft?':

'...This is an old problem within the study of craft - is it art, or isn't it?... We intend to treat such categorical dilemmas as historical phenomena in their own right, rather than as conundrums to answer definitively. In some art historical contexts... the relation between craft and art is not problematic but productive. For the artists associated with Die Brücke, materials and process were to be put into the service of avant garde objectives without hesitation. Indeed... the Expressionists owed a great debt to the craft movement of the turn of the century... But many other movements in modern craft stand in vivid contrast to this genealogy; as other articles and several of the reviews in this inaugural issue argue, the rhetorical distinctions between craft and art can make all the difference. Together these articles suggest that the oft-posed question of art and craft is best seen not as a dilemma to resolve, but rather as a malleable historical structure in its own right.'

arts & crafts : thought v/s knowledge

One theme that keeps recurring in my reading on craft is the concept of thought v/s knowledge.

Craft is concerned with knowledge: shared knowledge... learned knowledge... ancient knowledge... kinesthetic knowledge... historical knowledge...

Whereas art, to me, is thought... it is like a language, where each artist contributes a new word, pushing the ways art is understood. By association, our underanding of the world around us also progresses. I supose to me it is almost a visual philosophy.

Knitting is a craft that can be done in conjunction with something else. Your body has kinesthetically learned, yet your mind is free to do what it pleases. It can induce a trance like state or leave the mind free for other tasks... personally, I like to watch TV, listen to the radio or read a book whilst knitting.

Knowledge is acquired through time and patience, the ability to think is more inate... Is knowledge the femenine to thought's masculine? There is always a symbiosis between thought & knowledge - you must know how to think... and think to acquire knowledge.

When thought and knowlege combine, something wonderful can happen.

Perhaps this explains why I was so much in awe of the objects in the Collect and the Out of the Ordinary exhibitions.

why craft : material things

I was recently out with a friend when he asked me:

'are you still making material things?'

I questioned him on what exactly he meant. His response was…

'you know, things with fabric and knitting'

I wondered if he also intended the other meaning of material… and with it the implications of being 'materialistic'?

Craft is material in many ways... it frequently results in a material, physical object - a possession.

I like owning things, especially things that are unique and made just for (and by) me. I enjoy being complemented on something I have created... I could be said to be 'materialistic'.

I sometimes think one of the attractions of craft is because it is anti-consumption/anti-consumer connotations.

Yet... craft today can be an expensive hobby. Many knitters and sewers have a stash larger than they would ever have time to use. The ‘new wave’ of craft involves boutique shops, artisan yarns and exclusive accessories.

And…

skill + time = money -> ‘high end’ craft objects are very expensive (and desirable).

what is craft : collect

I have recently been to the V&A’s Out of the Ordinary craft exhibition, and the Craft Council’s Collect - 'an art fair for contemporary objects' - also at the V&A…

The following questions came to mind:

what is craft?

and

where does craft reside in relation to art?

Is the craft of say ‘knitting’ the same as the craft on display in these exhibitions?

In the exhibitions, I experienced no sense of ‘I could do that’, we were in awe of the skill and knowledge involved in the creation of these objects.