The practices and values of craftsmanship correspond well with the requirements for a sustainable economy. But they’re threatened by industry.
Articles on Craft
Displaying 21 - 34 of 34 articles
Recycling on a large scale is a Bronze Age invention.
Craft allows us to enter an immersive state of balance between skill and challenge.
Even as our world goes digital, there will always be an appetite for craftsmanship, for art and for the work only human hands can truly bring to life. Art and design schools should celebrate creators.
Basket weaving and knitting are used pejoratively to make a point but not ‘manly’ pursuits such as metalcrafts or woodwork.
Namibian crafters may be on the verge of commercial success with the carving of the Makalani nut. But they are not sure if they want to commercialise operations.
The work of Australian designer Berto Pandolfo shows how 3D printing can be claimed as a craft technology.
Embroidery - often seen as women’s work - was a common form of therapy for troops wounded in the first world war. One soldier, Albert Biggs, learned to sew with his left hand after his right arm was badly injured.
During World War I, a youth organisation called the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry was set up, prompting similar groups attracting thousands of members.
Perhaps the “art” label designates Assemble and the Granby project as outsiders, unique, creating something that can’t be replicated.
Why so many are utterly compelled by shows about extremely mundane, even retro exercises such as baking, sewing and throwing pottery.
Neural Knitworks, an event first staged for National Science Week in 2014, has since grown into an Australia-wide engagement project promoting connections between knitting and brain health.
Once a world leader in craft, now is a good time to look at Australia’s dedication to the production of the handmade, and it’s importance to a thriving economy.
Having returned recently from a 20 days study-tour plus indigo workshop in India, I have been pondering the social and economic value societies assign to craft. I ask, how is craft valued in Australia…
Top contributors
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Honorary Research Fellow, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney
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Deputy Co-ordinator, Journalism Program, Swinburne University of Technology
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Third Century Research Fellow, Manchester Metropolitan University
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Assistant Professor of the Archaeology of Early Europe, Leiden University
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Professor of Culture and Creative Industries, Adelaide University
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Associate Professor, Design Anthropology, Swinburne University of Technology
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Adjunct Professor, RMIT University
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Design Lecturer, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
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Manager, Inspiring Australia, University of Sydney
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Professor of Anthropology of Migration, University of Edinburgh
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Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Research Fellow, Edge Hill University
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Professor of Visual and Material Culture, University of Brighton
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Lecturer, Fashion Design, School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology
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VC Professoriate Research Fellow, Edith Cowan University
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Lecturer in Japanese Studies, The University of Queensland