Craftsmanship

Craft provides a communal knowledge that exists outside of words. It can only be passed on by spending many hours in the workshop with someone. Practice in isolation will not get you all the way.

It is in many ways like religion; common knowledge existing outside of words, ritual passed down, a support structure. This all provides legitimacy.

What is art? is the most common question. Sennett argues that what is autonomy? is a better question.

Craft provides a family, it takes away problems of value and purpose. The DMOU provides this family for some. The knowledge of craft is communal. It is why it is so easy to put peoples noses out of joint. It is like religion.

Originality occurs when someone does something not done before. This originality is art.

Originality comes from the Greek poesis meaning 'something where before there was nothing'

The reason I stopped teaching craft and design in universities was because I didn't think I was doing a good job. I didn't think I was producing good designers or good makers.

What is Art? What is Autonomy?

Craft has a family to defend its' merits, the artist, as an original has only the defence 'you do not understand'

The artist need only be original. This will not always provide autonomy.

A snooker player such as Ronnie OSullivan who has taken the game to new levels is peerless; he is an original and can be considered an artist.

Tracy Emin too may be an original, she may be doing something new. Shitting in your handbag may be new. This too may make you an artist.

You can be a bad artist too. It is being original, not good that is the qualification.

There is a current desperation for autonomy. People think this can be found more easily in art than craft. Being crap but original is easier than becoming so proficient at a craft that you become an artist.

In the designer craftsman furniture field students are taught to aspire to originality, at any cost.

Exhibitions rarely see new makers mastering thier craft before escaping the family in to new areas. Becoming artists as, arguably John Makepeace or Fred Baier. These two do new things. New things inspire wonder. . It is assumed that doing something new along side rudimentary craft skills will suffice.

I think that students shouldn't be confused like this. There is no shame in the family of craft.

Designers, also need not learn craft. Herein lies the trauma.

In Rennaisance times the apprentice left home and entered the new home of the workshop. Here they learnt discipline.

Now students are taught in a way that is niether fish nor foul. They learn a technique then are asked to use this in a fresh design. Their design sense is corrupted immediately. 

I would keep the designers seperate from the makers. I wouldn't have designer craftsmen, that strange animal neither horse nor pig. At least till they could do one thing properly.