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Title of Exhibit Proposal:

Natural Forces: Dynamic ingredients for creative practice? (Ref #185)

Date:
25-10-2006 09:38:43
Status:
Accepted
Rating:
8
Details:
To what degree does working in collaboration affect the craft practitioner?s ability to ?see? and take risks? This exhibit demonstrates the result of a pilot study that considered the value of collaborative making in the context of craft. It combines the work of a ceramicist and a printed textiles practitioner, and considers collaboration in terms of knowledge transfer, inspiration generation and, intellectual and aesthetic development.

What is the value of creating a new craft aesthetic (a hybrid) when exploring the material, technological and intellectual tension between 2D print and 3D ceramics of two independent makers? How simple is it to share theoretical and tacit knowledge when collaborating? Does the collaborative discourse facilitate different ways of ?seeing? (both intellectual and physical)?

This research seeks to consider how and if collaboration acts as a catalyst for nurturing the imagination through the quality of final craft works. It will contribute to local knowledge and understanding of craft.

The common thread that unites the practitioners is the subject of their work, nature and the natural environment. This link formed the basis of the collaborative venture and is a core principle driving their thinking. Reference to craft practitioner?s and writings concerning the influence and role of nature will be discussed, with particular reference being made to, Soetsu Yanagi, D?Arcy Thompson, Peter Stevens, Peter Dormer, Owen Jones, Bernard Leech, David Pye, Kate Malone, Peter Masters and Kazuhito Takodoi.







Methods

Collect and appraise visual information, exchange knowledge and ideas through discussion, questions and reflection. Develop direction for final outputs and push the other out from their comfort zone.

? Drawing, observing and collecting information using same source and
drawing materials in order to identify ?how we see? and how we interpret what
we see and select.
? Specifically observe and record marks and surface pattern in relation to form and scale.
? Exchange separate approaches and apply these to each other?s discipline. How will this exchange inform and develop the separate approaches? What new knowledge will be realised?
? Develop visual information through making processes. And analyse how the maker utilises ?borrowed? information and understand at what stage in the making does it become intuitive. What obstacles do the separate disciplines present and can they be overcome by applying alternative approaches.
? Discuss and debate the potential of the outcomes and evaluate their contribution to craft today.


Bibliography
Dormer, P., (1994) The art of the maker: skill and its meaning in art, craft and design. UK. Thames and Hudson.
Gombrich, E.H., (1984) The sense of order. 2nd Ed. A study in the psychology of decorative art. London. Phaidon Press Ltd.
Jones, O., (1986) The grammar of ornament. 2nd Ed. London. Studio Editions.
Stevens, P.S., (1974) Patterns in nature. 1st Ed. USA. Atlantic-Little.
Thompson, D?A. (1961) On growth and form. Cambridge. Press Syndicate.
Yanagi, S., (1972) The unknown craftsman. 1st Ed. Japan. Kodansha International.


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Reviewer Comments:

Review #1 : Left on 25-10-2006 10:11:26 #
It's reminiscent of the craft movements where collobarative thinking influenced the aesthetic thinking of a variety of practitioners. They appear to give each other vitality and ensure that a dialogue engage within the practice of making.

8
Review #2 : Left on 14-11-2006 13:15:19 #
This is an interesting area of study, focussing on the collaborative process and trying to 'unpack' the investigation. The challenge will be in providing supporting material which articulates the interchange and its effect on the work.

8