While it is acknowledged that craftwork has the potential to generate well-being, relatively few empirical studies explore how this happens in practice. Some scholars have used the theoretical concept and phenomenological experience of ‘flow’ to analyse why craft-makers find their work satisfying and engaging. This article builds on such scholarship by empirically demonstrating how ‘flow experiences’ emerge. Drawing on anthropological fieldwork among Lulesámi craft-makers in Northern Norway, the article argues that ‘flow’ should not be taken for granted or seen as a straightforward and easily achieved benefit of craft. Instead, it is a skilful practice that requires learning, collaboration, time and repeated, embodied effort. It involves the transformation of the body through collaborative learning; something that makes ‘flow experiences’ not only learnt but deeply personal and communal at the same time. Through a detailed ethnographic account of how ‘flow’ emerges through the making of the gáppte (characteristic dress), the article provides important insights into contemporary Lulesámi craftsmanship at the same time as it speaks to the wider literature on craft, well-being and learning.
{"title":"Learning ‘flow’: The anatomy of Lulesámi handicraft","authors":"Anna W. Gustafsson","doi":"10.1386/crre_00067_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00067_1","url":null,"abstract":"While it is acknowledged that craftwork has the potential to generate well-being, relatively few empirical studies explore how this happens in practice. Some scholars have used the theoretical concept and phenomenological experience of ‘flow’ to analyse why craft-makers\u0000 find their work satisfying and engaging. This article builds on such scholarship by empirically demonstrating how ‘flow experiences’ emerge. Drawing on anthropological fieldwork among Lulesámi craft-makers in Northern Norway, the article argues that ‘flow’ should\u0000 not be taken for granted or seen as a straightforward and easily achieved benefit of craft. Instead, it is a skilful practice that requires learning, collaboration, time and repeated, embodied effort. It involves the transformation of the body through collaborative learning; something that\u0000 makes ‘flow experiences’ not only learnt but deeply personal and communal at the same time. Through a detailed ethnographic account of how ‘flow’ emerges through the making of the gáppte (characteristic dress), the article provides important insights into\u0000 contemporary Lulesámi craftsmanship at the same time as it speaks to the wider literature on craft, well-being and learning.","PeriodicalId":42324,"journal":{"name":"Craft Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43839565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article presents an experimental study of patterns created on latex-coated fabric by applying artistic and local craft techniques to create value-added aesthetics. The study sample was a southern community enterprise group in Southern Thailand, where the primary career was growing rubber trees. At present, rubber latex is used to coat fabrics in agricultural products such as artificial flooring pound, lime planting and planting trees for propagation. The experimental creative research was set up with the latex formula used for ponds or planting containers, local, readily available fabrics and techniques that can be applied by the community enterprise. The results found that the latex formula needed to be adjusted to reduce the stickiness so that it was suitable for particular pattern-making techniques. Using latex, it was possible to mix it with poster paint, acrylic paint, latex pigment and coloured latex to create other new colours. The rubber coating material was excellent in terms of water, and friction resistance, was washable and durable. The resulting coatings were combined with different textile techniques and applied as a material to enhance the aesthetics of other fabric and rubber-based products. The experiment resulted in new ways to create added value in the field of aesthetics to develop handicrafts imbued with local cultural identity. This innovative crafting process has the potential to be developed in association with a wide range of products, while increasing the economic value of rubber and the sustainability of the community.
{"title":"Crafting latex-coated fabrics: An experimental study with a local material of southern Thailand","authors":"Pharitporn Kawkamsue, Prachya Kritsanaphan","doi":"10.1386/crre_00069_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00069_1","url":null,"abstract":"This article presents an experimental study of patterns created on latex-coated fabric by applying artistic and local craft techniques to create value-added aesthetics. The study sample was a southern community enterprise group in Southern Thailand, where the primary career was growing\u0000 rubber trees. At present, rubber latex is used to coat fabrics in agricultural products such as artificial flooring pound, lime planting and planting trees for propagation. The experimental creative research was set up with the latex formula used for ponds or planting containers, local, readily\u0000 available fabrics and techniques that can be applied by the community enterprise. The results found that the latex formula needed to be adjusted to reduce the stickiness so that it was suitable for particular pattern-making techniques. Using latex, it was possible to mix it with poster paint,\u0000 acrylic paint, latex pigment and coloured latex to create other new colours. The rubber coating material was excellent in terms of water, and friction resistance, was washable and durable. The resulting coatings were combined with different textile techniques and applied as a material to enhance\u0000 the aesthetics of other fabric and rubber-based products. The experiment resulted in new ways to create added value in the field of aesthetics to develop handicrafts imbued with local cultural identity. This innovative crafting process has the potential to be developed in association with\u0000 a wide range of products, while increasing the economic value of rubber and the sustainability of the community.","PeriodicalId":42324,"journal":{"name":"Craft Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45567876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
As a fibre artist, I have tried to create unique work that differentiates from contemporary art and historical art forms. One such attempt involves my work using plastic bags and the resulting outcomes, which began with my interest in yarn. Many factors determine the quality of a material but a common characteristic is that a textile has its roots in yarn. I questioned ‘what if the yarn changes? ‐ that is, if the materials sourced for yarn production change, before conceptualizing a specific artefact, the yarn can become a unique fabric in itself’. After a long series of tests with different materials, I chose to use the plastic bag, which has astounding potential as an art/craft material. My aim was to return the practicality of an everyday object back into everyday life. By giving a new value to the plastic bags’ original function of holding and moving things, I intended to unveil questions of ‘utility’ and ‘meaning’. In addition to its physical properties and material potential, the plastic bag broadened my conceptual framework of meaningful craft practice. When plastic bags first appeared, they were a symbol of hygiene and convenience in modern life. However, this ground-breaking material has since turned out to be a main culprit of environmental destruction; these contradictory perspectives representing contrasting ‘values’. Through my extensive work with recycled plastic bags, mainly sourced through waste streams, I have discovered further values and realize that the utility and value of an object (existence) are not fixed, but are dependent on the gaze and attitude of the viewer or user. In this article, I convey what I have found and realized through hand crafted yarn production and weaving techniques and hope it will lead to the discovery of further values for new audiences.
{"title":"Rediscovering value through crafting plastic bags","authors":"Taeyoun Kim","doi":"10.1386/crre_00071_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00071_1","url":null,"abstract":"As a fibre artist, I have tried to create unique work that differentiates from contemporary art and historical art forms. One such attempt involves my work using plastic bags and the resulting outcomes, which began with my interest in yarn. Many factors determine the quality of a material\u0000 but a common characteristic is that a textile has its roots in yarn. I questioned ‘what if the yarn changes? ‐ that is, if the materials sourced for yarn production change, before conceptualizing a specific artefact, the yarn can become a unique fabric in itself’. After\u0000 a long series of tests with different materials, I chose to use the plastic bag, which has astounding potential as an art/craft material. My aim was to return the practicality of an everyday object back into everyday life. By giving a new value to the plastic bags’ original function\u0000 of holding and moving things, I intended to unveil questions of ‘utility’ and ‘meaning’. In addition to its physical properties and material potential, the plastic bag broadened my conceptual framework of meaningful craft practice. When plastic bags first appeared,\u0000 they were a symbol of hygiene and convenience in modern life. However, this ground-breaking material has since turned out to be a main culprit of environmental destruction; these contradictory perspectives representing contrasting ‘values’. Through my extensive work with recycled\u0000 plastic bags, mainly sourced through waste streams, I have discovered further values and realize that the utility and value of an object (existence) are not fixed, but are dependent on the gaze and attitude of the viewer or user. In this article, I convey what I have found and realized through\u0000 hand crafted yarn production and weaving techniques and hope it will lead to the discovery of further values for new audiences.","PeriodicalId":42324,"journal":{"name":"Craft Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46088555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Review of: Berber Memories: Women and Jewellery in Morocco, Michel Draguet (2021)Brussels: Mercatorfonds and Yale University Press, 600 pp.,ISBN 978-0-30025-395-5, h/bk, £65.00s
{"title":"Berber Memories: Women and Jewellery in Morocco, Michel Draguet (2021)","authors":"R. Bernabei","doi":"10.1386/crre_00072_5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00072_5","url":null,"abstract":"Review of: Berber Memories: Women and Jewellery in Morocco, Michel Draguet (2021)Brussels: Mercatorfonds and Yale University Press, 600 pp.,ISBN 978-0-30025-395-5, h/bk, £65.00s","PeriodicalId":42324,"journal":{"name":"Craft Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48764265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Expanded Wood is an openwork panel made out of wood that maintains its original strength but significantly gains width and minimally loses weight. The material uses raw wood in a more efficient way that can help to reduce deforestation and may offer a solution to the problem of dwindling natural resources. This article explores the process of creating and developing the new material through making, experiencing physical models and empirical, physical testing. The combination of these three techniques produces a creative process that is based in both individual sensory perception and quantitative data analysis.
{"title":"Expanding wood: Developing and validating a new material","authors":"Karol Murlak","doi":"10.1386/crre_00068_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00068_1","url":null,"abstract":"Expanded Wood is an openwork panel made out of wood that maintains its original strength but significantly gains width and minimally loses weight. The material uses raw wood in a more efficient way that can help to reduce deforestation and may offer a solution to the problem\u0000 of dwindling natural resources. This article explores the process of creating and developing the new material through making, experiencing physical models and empirical, physical testing. The combination of these three techniques produces a creative process that is based in both individual\u0000 sensory perception and quantitative data analysis.","PeriodicalId":42324,"journal":{"name":"Craft Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48339249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Twined flower making has been a handicraft practiced by women since the Qing Dynasty (1885‐94) in which wires, papers and silk threads are the main materials used by entwining the materials together in various combinations into the forms of flowers. However, the rise of plastic flowers in the 1970s, the evolution of lifestyle and weakened folk traditions has led to the gradual decline of twined flower craft. The craft of twined flower making has not been taught in a systematic fashion and thus is more difficult to pass onto new generations. The research aims to bring the art of twined flower into daily life to continue the future of this craft. The eastern region of Taiwan has an abundance of stone resources. The conception of the project is to unite the contrasting materials of twined paper flowers and to augment the scope of the craft. Traditionally twined flower handicraft has been applied mostly as an ornament or fashion accessory for women. The project extends the craft to the context of stationery by combining features found in traditional Chinese painting to produce a modern object.
{"title":"Combining the traditional craft of twined flower making with stone","authors":"Yen-Fei Chou, Tsai-Yun Lo","doi":"10.1386/crre_00070_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00070_1","url":null,"abstract":"Twined flower making has been a handicraft practiced by women since the Qing Dynasty (1885‐94) in which wires, papers and silk threads are the main materials used by entwining the materials together in various combinations into the forms of flowers. However, the rise of plastic\u0000 flowers in the 1970s, the evolution of lifestyle and weakened folk traditions has led to the gradual decline of twined flower craft. The craft of twined flower making has not been taught in a systematic fashion and thus is more difficult to pass onto new generations. The research aims to bring\u0000 the art of twined flower into daily life to continue the future of this craft. The eastern region of Taiwan has an abundance of stone resources. The conception of the project is to unite the contrasting materials of twined paper flowers and to augment the scope of the craft. Traditionally\u0000 twined flower handicraft has been applied mostly as an ornament or fashion accessory for women. The project extends the craft to the context of stationery by combining features found in traditional Chinese painting to produce a modern object.","PeriodicalId":42324,"journal":{"name":"Craft Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46313163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In a making process, a craftsperson starts a dialogue with the environment, tools and materials that are essential to their professional practice. During this materially and bodily entangled process, the act of making is thinking per se: the forming of the material emerges through the interaction with the material and is thus simultaneous with, and intrinsic to, the creative process itself. This article presents a practice-led case study of material thinking in the context of contemporary ceramics that one of the authors experienced during a research period in New Zealand. By utilizing walking along the changing landscapes as a creative method, as well as interacting with local practitioners, the craftsperson collects natural minerals and follows the material’s flow, letting it actively shape the creative events. The encounter with soil-based materials in their different forms and working with them in renewed ways reveal how the material’s behaviours influence the craftsperson’s thinking and making. This study shows that walking can facilitate the entanglement between the craftsperson’s knowledge and newly discovered materials, generating emotional and dialogical relationship with the environment, including human collaborators.
{"title":"In dialogue with the environment: The environment, creativity, materials and making","authors":"M. Mäkelä, B. Aktaş","doi":"10.1386/crre_00064_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00064_1","url":null,"abstract":"In a making process, a craftsperson starts a dialogue with the environment, tools and materials that are essential to their professional practice. During this materially and bodily entangled process, the act of making is thinking per se: the forming of the material emerges through the\u0000 interaction with the material and is thus simultaneous with, and intrinsic to, the creative process itself. This article presents a practice-led case study of material thinking in the context of contemporary ceramics that one of the authors experienced during a research period in New Zealand.\u0000 By utilizing walking along the changing landscapes as a creative method, as well as interacting with local practitioners, the craftsperson collects natural minerals and follows the material’s flow, letting it actively shape the creative events. The encounter with soil-based materials\u0000 in their different forms and working with them in renewed ways reveal how the material’s behaviours influence the craftsperson’s thinking and making. This study shows that walking can facilitate the entanglement between the craftsperson’s knowledge and newly discovered materials,\u0000 generating emotional and dialogical relationship with the environment, including human collaborators.","PeriodicalId":42324,"journal":{"name":"Craft Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46480749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nature as source and inspiration for materials and making","authors":"K. Niedderer, K. Townsend","doi":"10.1386/crre_00063_2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00063_2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":42324,"journal":{"name":"Craft Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66693535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Our aim in this article is to introduce the idea of ‘crafticulation’ as a part of scientific method and to present a case study related to it. A novel course, Materializing in Craft Science, was offered in the first year of the craft teacher master’s degree at the University of Helsinki. The aim of the course was to pilot a method of crafticulation by materializing theoretical mind maps. Crafticulation consists of the words, ‘craft’ and ‘articulation’ and further, crafticulation is seen as a part of practice-led research in which craft plays a key role in eliciting a wide spectrum of knowledge. Our research question is how crafticulation emerged in students’ inquiry processes. The research data included twenty individual mind maps, materializations and reflections of the course. Based on theory-driven data analysis, the results indicated that many students used crafticulation for demonstration purposes. For example, they tested the connection between their craft-making process and well-being. Another approach was to convey a certain experience by way of crafticulation. In some cases, crafticulation was linked to analogies and metaphors in learning theoretical concepts. Furthermore, the students found new avenues in which to reflect research topics and to deepen their inquiry processes.
{"title":"Crafticulation as a method of knowledge creation","authors":"H. Lahti, Päivi Fernström","doi":"10.1386/crre_00049_1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00049_1","url":null,"abstract":"Our aim in this article is to introduce the idea of ‘crafticulation’ as a part of scientific method and to present a case study related to it. A novel course, Materializing in Craft Science, was offered in the first year of the craft teacher master’s degree at the\u0000 University of Helsinki. The aim of the course was to pilot a method of crafticulation by materializing theoretical mind maps. Crafticulation consists of the words, ‘craft’ and ‘articulation’ and further, crafticulation is seen as a part of practice-led research in which\u0000 craft plays a key role in eliciting a wide spectrum of knowledge. Our research question is how crafticulation emerged in students’ inquiry processes. The research data included twenty individual mind maps, materializations and reflections of the course. Based on theory-driven data analysis,\u0000 the results indicated that many students used crafticulation for demonstration purposes. For example, they tested the connection between their craft-making process and well-being. Another approach was to convey a certain experience by way of crafticulation. In some cases, crafticulation was\u0000 linked to analogies and metaphors in learning theoretical concepts. Furthermore, the students found new avenues in which to reflect research topics and to deepen their inquiry processes.","PeriodicalId":42324,"journal":{"name":"Craft Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48362454","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}