The Midwife and the Gravedigger

Having spent a few more days thinking about the Craft Matters campaign the more strongly I feel that the Crafts Council should encourage a more inclusive definition of craft and its place in society.
As I said before, Craft is not just concerned with exquisite, hand made, bespoke objects. Though there is a need and place for work of that type in society, if craft is to matter when it comes to its recognition, promotion and support by governments, the public needs to know how craft affects them in almost every area of life.
As Glenn Adamson says, "Craft only exists in motion. It is a way of doing things, not a classification of objects, institutions or people"*
As such, both the midwife and the person that buries you are craft experts, they have developed the tacit knowledge and skills necessary to safely bring you into this world and to leave it with dignity. At every stage in between craft shapes our lives, it is what differentiates us from the other species on this planet. Craft has even helped to shape our bodies, both in an evolutionary sense and in the way our bodies are affected by physical activity.
In getting this message across a recent Radio 4, Point of View programme could be very helpful. It was the last of a series by Professor Lisa Jardine who used the example of crystallographer, Dorothy Hodgkin to demonstrate how science and the arts can both benefit through collaboration. Lisa jardine referred to a letter to the Observer signed by many eminent thinkers who are concerned that future government spending cuts will sacrifice the arts in favour of the sciences, a policy that appears extremely short-sighted.


Adamson, G. Thinking through Craft. Berg 2007, p4.

Does Craft Matter?

I went along to the Crafts Council launch of 'Craft Matters' at the House of Lords on Tuesday and an interesting tea party it was.
The campaign aims to raise the profile of craft in the mind of the public, in education and in business. The speeches focused on the making and acquisition of exquisite hand crafted objects and each of the speakers described why craft matters to them. You can say why craft matters to you here.
My contribution applies a much wider definition to the notion of craft, the short version being that 'Craft matters because it is the fundamental building block of the creative industries'. I used that term because of its association with DNA and the fact that craft skills are needed in many areas of science as much as they are in the arts and crafts.
The longer version is:
'Craft matters because it is not only the fundamental building block of the creative industries, but is a process that brings together the hand, the head and the heart in order to engage with, explore and interpret the world around us.'
The longer I am involved in creating work using advanced technology the more strongly I feel that successful pieces rely on a combination of my pottery craft skills, the development of new skills plus a developed sensibility to the 3 dimensional form. Together, a new world of creative possibilities has opened for me, neither superior nor inferior to my previous practice.
As an inveterate maker, concerned with the the use of materials and processes for expressive purposes, I am now more fully engaged with the notion of craft than I have been for some time and it matters.

So, does craft matter to you?

Jonathan Ive on Rapid Prototyping - the root of all evil?

In a recent Design Week magazine (30 April) Jonathan Ive of Apple asserts that RP is distancing designers from the physical process of design and creating 'a lot of lousy design'.
And in the following edition of the magazine numerous commentators are asked for their reaction. Most just echo Ive's sentiments
I agree with Matthew Lewis (Metropolitan Works) that knowledge of materials and processes is fundamental to successful design (and to any creative process), but it is wrong of Jonathan Ive to blame the tools. RP and now RM (additive layer manufacturing (ALM) or whatever you want to call it) open up enormous creative possibilities, and should be seen as a way of connecting the designer with the consumer in the same way as in pre-Industrial Revolution craft based societies.
As ALM frees the designer from tooling and mould making, there is the potential and the reality of every product being tailored for a specific requirement in the same way that a potter would have served the needs of the farmer or cook. In theory this should fully engage the designer with the complete creative process and the need to understand the capabilities of materials are capable of.
As applied artists/designers/creatives we have new tools in our toolbox. ALM/RP doesn't replace the other tools, it complements them and should be used appropriately.
Jonathan Ive should really be addressing the Colleges and Universities who are closing their 3D workshops and sitting students in front of computers as the cheaper option. It is central to the success of design innovation that knowledge of materials and processes is a fundamental part in the education of the next generation of creatives.

The iPotter

We have the technology...
I have evolved from making ceramics with almost pre-Industrial Revolution materials and technology to manufacturing them using technology from the next Industrial Revolution. In doing so my practice has virtually leapt 250 years.

...and the materials
The majority of my friends from the Studio Pottery world are baffled. My work no longer shares one of the prime motivations of handmade ceramics- the expression of material qualities and processes.
The process I now use prevents me from capturing a moment in time in the same way as I could with liquid coloured slips, but my approach to the design and digital manufacture of pieces like The Wedgwoodn't Tureen doesn't divorce me from the need to engage with material qualities.
So if I loose something that was an important ingredient, what do I gain? Freedom.
I am liberated from some of the restrictions of material properties; I don't have to think about the centrifugal forces that impose their effects on the form of a thrown pot; gravity has no influence.
Most importantly I am freed from the 'baggage' associated with Studio Pottery, whose genesis was the Arts and Craft Movement and its rejection of the dehumanising effects of industrial production and the division of labour.
In fact, the process I employ now has the potential to turn the circle back to the pre-Industrial Revolution days of direct contact between the maker and the customer. 3D printing or Additive Manufacturing (AM) or whatever you wish to call it, is not restricted by the need for moulds or tooling. A design can be customised for customer before it is manufactured.

A blacksmith gains the skills required to choose the right metal for the job through direct experience (tacit knowledge). Materials need to be appropriate to the task asked of them and as AM is primarily a material based technology, with new materials and variations coming onto the market on a regular basis, then those engaged with them surely require the same skills as the blacksmith.

As part of my RCA project I used The Wedgwoodn't Tureen to test the capabilities of the software, hardware and materials of AM and particularly the materials and processes developed by Axiatec. Now that I have acquired a basic understanding, I can go on to exploit the freedom that they give me. Through the design and production of new work I continue my testing and expand my tacit knowledge in the process.
Having divorced myself from the Studio Pottery movement, the approach to my work is bound to be framed by 25 years of making pots, but my new work has been able to take on a more conceptual direction, engaging with ideas that I hope the viewer will find thought-provoking.

(to be continued.....)

05.05.09 - What's new?

Well, it's been some time since I recorded my news and thoughts. In some ways a lot has happened since I finished at the RCA, and in some ways not enough.
My work has been shown by Adrian Sassoon at various Art and Design Fairs in the UK, USA and Belgium. They were shown recently at SOFA in New York and will be at COLLECT in London in 2 weeks time. I'll have some new work on show.
It's also just about to go on display in 'Object Factory' at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York
I have divided my time between designing new work, trying to complete an AHRC Knowledge Catalyst application to undertake another 12 months applied research at the RCA and collaborating with Axiatec and the University of Washington on material tests.













Here is an image of my test cube designed, printed on the ZCorp 450 in France. It has been treated to make it heat resistant, then I have dipped it in vitreous slip, fired it to 1000C, then glazed and fired it to 1085C with one of our lovely lead glazes.














This test piece is based on my 'Event Horizon' torus piece. Again, it was printed on a ZCorp machine, but in clay, not in the usual 131 powder. It was then biscuit fired to 1000C and treated in the same way as the test cube above.
This morning I sent 2 of the torus test pieces to the Esther Klein Gallery at the Science Center in Philadelphia, USA for an exhibition called 'The FAB Show'. The exhibition will explore Creative and DIY methods of accessing and utilising 3D printing technology. We are working with Evan Malone of Fab@Home on the exhibition, along with folks from MakerBot, RepRap, and Candyfab.

Meanwhile, if anyone out there is interested in my work and research please don't hesitate to get in touch. I am looking for a position, either temporary, permanent, part-time or full time where I can contribute my experience, enthusiasm and knowledge.