Pedagogies of Craftsmanship

Abstract

When the difference between designing and making implements a distinction between what is man-made and what is machine-made, an inevitable question arises: what is the meaning of craftsmanship in the age of digital production? Traditionally craftsmanship has been associated with applied arts, the hand-made production of objects. However, technologies like 3D printing and digitally assisted design blur the distinction between what is man-made and machine-made. Is the complex machine opposed to craftsmanship and does the interaction with machines affect man’s interaction with objects? Confronting the theory of Aloïs Riegl with Frank Lloyd Wright, this intervention debates the role of technology in craftsmanship. Relating the aesthetics of Paul Valéry to the design theory of Jacques Vienot, allows us to propose a new interpretation of applied arts as implied art, a type of making that concentrates less on the beauty of machines and more on human life, its experiences and the occasional poverty thereof.