danish crafts design and making

Upload: mads-h-palsrud

Post on 04-Jun-2018

221 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    1/52

    DESIGN&

    MAKING

    A project by

    A series of essays

    exploring the importance

    of craft and design today

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    2/52

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    3/52

    Introduction by Birgitte Jahn 04

    Design & Making short film 06

    A Design Heritage by Lesley Jackson 08

    The Rise of Craftsmanshipby Grant Gibson 18

    Thinking Through Makingby Daniel Charny 28

    Producing Design by Paul de Zwart 38

    Communicating Design by Max Fraser 40

    Exhibiting Design by William Knight 42

    Selling Design by Magnus Englund 44

    Collecting Design by Libby Sellers 46

    Credits 48

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    4/52

    he field of craft and design finds itself in a remarkable

    period right now. In current years, there has been agrowing international focus on the values inherent in

    the hand-made, the everyday relations and the story-telling

    qualities that craft represents. There is a strong demand for

    products imbued with relevant and authentic stories that hold

    special meaning for consumers and offer the individual a sense

    of identity.

    At the same time, there is a widespread focus on innovationin society and on the potential of design to meet the challenges

    that society is currently facing.This occurs along with an interest

    in developing design capable of solving specific everyday

    problems. Naturally, these are essential areas to promote and

    develop, particularly in light of the global challenges of today.

    Craft and the new challenges in the field of design are

    often discussed as if they occupied two different spheres. Andindeed, in some respects these two professional practices

    are very different. But its far more interesting to examine

    how the two areas supplement each other, to explore the

    valuable resources inherent in craft, and to embrace another

    view of design and making. This is especially true in a Danish

    context, where craft has historically been such an integrated

    part of industrial production. Here, the two areas have always

    been closely linked, and they make up a key component of the

    04

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    5/52

    DNA and the strength of Danish design.

    Making is the most powerful way we solve problems,express ideas and shape our world. [] making and, in

    particular, thinking through making holds social, economical

    and cultural values that are particularly suited to our times and

    to shaping the future, Daniel Charny argues in his essay in

    this publication.

    I think that the qualities of craft have a crucial impact

    on the conception and development of new products today.

    Craftspeople represent the powerful creative driving force that

    forms the basis for any product.

    Danish Crafts finds it important to enhance awareness of

    the importance of the field and to create the right conditions

    for strengthening the unique qualities inherent in craft. In

    cooperation with the London-based design writer, publisher

    and curator Max Fraser we have therefore invited a number

    of professionals from the British design industry to discuss

    the role and importance of craft in society today. Designers,

    retailers, promoters and commentators, each with in-depth

    insight into the areas they write about.

    Danish Crafts would like to thank everyone who has

    contributed to the discussion of the importance of craft

    and design in todays society with very engaged and

    personal opinions.

    Birgitte Jahn

    CEO Danish Crafts

    05

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    6/52

    06

    http://www.danishcrafts.org/visArtikel.uk.asp?artikelID=3168
  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    7/52

    In this short film, a number of British

    designers, retailers, promoters and

    commentators discuss the role and

    importance of design and craft today.

    07

    http://www.danishcrafts.org/visArtikel.uk.asp?artikelID=3168http://www.danishcrafts.org/visArtikel.uk.asp?artikelID=3168http://www.danishcrafts.org/visArtikel.uk.asp?artikelID=3168http://www.danishcrafts.org/visArtikel.uk.asp?artikelID=3168http://www.danishcrafts.org/visArtikel.uk.asp?artikelID=3168
  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    8/52

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    9/52

    A

    DESIGN

    HERITAGE

    Lesley Jackson

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    10/52

    Have nothing in your house that you do not know

    to be useful or believe to be beautiful, said WilliamMorris, the idealistic British designer, socialreformer and founding father of the Arts and Craftsmovement. It was the thrill of decorating his ownhome that prompted Morris to become a designer

    and set up his own practice, Morris, Marshall,Faulkner & Company (later Morris & Co), in 1861.Morris was a polymath; his projects ran the gamutof applied arts: textiles, wallpaper, furniture, stained

    glass, tiles. He was, undoubtedly, a creative genius.

    Yet his interests went beyond aesthetics; he wantedto improve society by reforming the way domestic

    products were made.

    Morriss great bugbear was the industrial revolution. Factory-based, mechanised mass-production transformed Britishmanufacturing after the late-18th century, yet in his view

    it had a disastrous effect on design standards and spawnedmany social evils. Dividing a manufacturing process intosegregated tasks and replacing hand-craftsmanship withmechanics increased production, but it turned artisans intoslaves to machineshence the dubious term operative.In Morriss view, this was inhuman, and the failings ofthe system were all too evident in the deficiencies of the

    final products.Morris was proud to call himself an artist-craftsman.

    Enthusiastically hands-on, he dipped his arms in vats ofdye or busied them on hand looms. By fostering a return tohand-craftsmanship, he sought to save the soul of Britishproduction. His ideas spread internationally in the decadesfollowing his death in 1896.

    Why am I telling you about William Morris? Well, if Iapply his dictum to the objects in my own homefurnishedlargely with Scandinavian modern design by Hans Wegner,Holmegaard and Le Klintit seems clear that the country

    0810Lesley Jackson is a writer,

    curator and design historian

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    11/52

    11

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    12/52

    In the late-1940s andearly-1950s, Denmark,

    Sweden and Finland

    emerged as design

    superpowers. Each

    had its own strengthsand distinctive

    national traits but

    together their unique

    selling point was the

    way they absorbedcraft values, materials

    and aesthetics in

    their design.

    12

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    13/52

    that upheld Morriss ideals most faithfully in the last centurywas Denmark, certainly during the postwar period. In fact,if Morris had lived in the 1950s, I think he would have feltvery much at home in Denmark. As a design historian, Ivespent a lot of time scrutinising the years between 1945 and1970, in my view one of the most dynamic periods in thehistory of design. What makes it so compelling, partly, is therelease of pent-up creative energy after the war. But therewas also a dramatic shift in the balance of power, with OldEurope in the guise of Germany and France supplanted by

    new European powers like Italy, Scandinavia and the NewWorld of the United States.

    In the late-1940s and early-1950s, Denmark, Sweden andFinland emerged as design superpowers. Each had its ownstrengths and distinctive national traits but together theirunique selling point was the way they absorbed craft values,materials and aesthetics in their design. One reason seems

    to be because Scandinavia, unlike Britain and Germany, wasonly partially industrialised when its creative surge began, so

    living craft techniques (as opposed to revived forgottenskills) were effortlessly absorbed into production. Writingin 1960, the commentator Arne Karlsen characterisedDanish design as multifarious and yet homogenous fullof contrasts and yet characterised by common features. To

    Karlsen, the essential character of the Danish approach wasquality, the specific gravity of the things, the harmony,the balance between the various elements: form (utility),material, means of production, price. One distinctive feature of postwar Scandinavian design,and Danish design in particular, is its understated aesthetic.

    The Danes are not given to dramatic effects, [yet] nor is

    our work in any way drab, said Karlsen. Danish designis informal but not without a certain grandeur. He alsoused the word sober to characterise the Danish approach.This sobriety reflects an important aspect of the Danishnational character at that time, and suggests an acceptanceof the social function of design, closely allied to prevailingideas about social welfare and democracy. A recognition,

    among Danish designers and manufacturers, of the needto act responsibly for the greater good was a central tenetof Danish postwar design philosophy: To us, Karlsen said,

    quality is not inextricably bound up with luxury.

    13

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    14/52

    Karlsens commentary is taken from a book calledContemporary Danish Design, published by the DanishSociety of Arts and Crafts and Industrial Design in 1960

    to promote Danish design abroad. The link between thisorganisation and the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britainis evident in its name, although it is significant that, inDenmark, arts and crafts and industrial design wereregarded as complementary aspects of a unified whole. Thispoint is reiterated by Karlsen: In our country the artistdirects his energy equally to the creation of ordinary useful

    wares and unique objects. It is often the same artists wholeave their mark in both. Contemporary Danish Design is a modest publicationillustrated in black and white, yet it provides a testamentto the achievements of Danish designers in the 15 yearsfollowing the Second World War. It is an impressive catalogue,with names like Hans Wegner, Brge Mogensen, Finn Juhl,

    Arne Jacobsen and Poul Kjaerholm in furniture; Kaare Klintand Poul Henningsen in lighting; Henning Koppel and JensQuistgaard in metalwork; Axel Salto in ceramics; and PerLtken in glass. As in Britain during the late-19th century,postwar Denmark witnessed a flowering of creativity acrossthe applied arts.

    The worldwide triumph of Danish furniture in the 1950s

    and 1960s is particularly illuminating. With its emphasison high-quality design and fine craftsmanship, temperedby down-to-earth functionalism, the Danish furnitureindustry was exemplary. Hans Wegner, who collaboratedwith several companies, fused new ideas with traditionalelements in a thoroughly appealing way. Similar ideas borefruit, not only for one or two isolated firms but across the

    industry. Combining technical efficiency with artistic flair,the Danes developed a highly successful export industrywhile satisfying the needs of consumers at home. By theearly-1950s their furniture was not only penetrating foreignmarkets but influencing their competitors abroad. Britishfirms such as Ercol and G-Plan, for example, were indebtedto Danish design.

    Two other leading Danish manufacturers, Holmegaardand Royal Copenhagen, illustrate the enviable craftprinciples underlying Danish postwar industrial design.The mouth-blown and hand-shaped glass vessels developed

    14

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    15/52

    by Per Ltken for Holmegaard in the 1950s, with theirseductive organic forms and subtle colours, display anenviable creative freedom moderated by restraint. Produced

    in large enough quantities to make them affordable, theywere imported to Britain by the wholesalers Bowmans andsold through retailers like Heals. Holmegaard exerted asignificant influence on the postwar designs of WhitefriarsGlass, a leading Arts and Crafts firm that had producedglassware for William Morris. The Danish firm also playedrole model to several new companies set up in the UK during

    the 1960s, including Caithness Glass, Kings Lynn Glass andDartington, all of which adopted similar aesthetics andproduction models. For its part, Royal Copenhagen fostered studio-basedcraft experimentation alongside its main production ranges.From 1933 onwards the virtuoso ceramicist Axel Saltoamaverick genius but something of a non-conformist

    worked for the company producing a series of extraordinarysculptural vessels with treacly glazes, operating effectively asa studio potter within the factory system. Interestingly, KateMalone, one of the UKs most exciting contemporary potters,cites Axel Salto as an inspiration. His weird, wonderful formsand adventurous glazes show clear parallels with Malonespots, which recall seed pods and fruit. So although Salto died

    50 years ago, his creative legacy lives on. Malones work is just one example of how Danish designfrom the mid-20th century can stimulate contemporary craftin a wholly positive way. Im not advocating pastiche orasis so popular today in the years since the birth of Droogironic sampling of historical imagery; in my opinion its allbecome somewhat formulaic of late. But I believe theres

    a lot to be said for todays designers and makers engagingwith the golden days of Danish design. Cross fertilisationby time travel, you might call it. The Danes have rich,postwar resources to draw on. There may also be lessonsto be learnt by todays promotional organisations from theactivities of their predecessors at the Danish Society of Artsand Crafts and Industrial Design, and also from wholesale

    companies, such as Danasco and Finmar, which successfullyimported Scandinavian design into Britain during the 1950s.Both of those firms were, unsurprisingly, spearheaded byentrepreneurial Danes.

    15

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    16/52

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    17/52

    tuation

    ign, there has beenn to experimentation

    and thinking by making.

    Royal College of Art

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    18/52

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    19/52

    THE RISE OF

    CRAFTS-

    MANSHIP

    Grant Gibson

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    20/52

    Never has industrial design been so far removedfrom manufacturing. Objects are often created on

    a computer in a fashionable part of a European citybefore being shipped out to a factory in China or

    India. This fracture has collided with our increasingconcern about ecology, our current desire to startcurbing our culture of consumption and our post-Naomi Klein suspicion of big brands.

    All of which has persuaded a certain type of (generallywealthy and middle class) consumer to think aboutprovenance. The most obvious area this has manifested itself

    is in food. High-profile campaigns by TV chefs like JamieOliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall have resulted inshoppers taking more care over what they buy and inspireda raft of specialty lines from the major supermarkets.

    You know a bandwagon is rolling when theadvertising agencies jump aboard. In recent years Levislaunched its Craftworkers campaign, which makes

    associations between the old denim brand and a group ofup-and-coming young creatives (some of whom could onlyvery loosely be described as craftsmen). Camper, the Spanishshoemaker, started using the tagline Extraordinary Craftsin its campaigns.

    This renewed interest in provenance has played a keyrole in motivating designers to join schemes like 2010s

    Bodging Milano. Under the aegis of furniture-makerGudrun Leitz, the programme invited a group of the UKstop designers to spend six days in Herefordshire, where theylearned the traditional wood-turning technique bodging,

    0820Grant Gibson is a freelance

    journalist and editor of

    Craftsmagazine

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    21/52

    21

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    22/52

    Indeed the rise of

    hand-making at what

    remains the worldsmost important

    design fair [Salone

    del Mobile, Milan]

    has been noticeable

    for some time.

    22

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    23/52

    most commonly associated with Windsor chairs. The resultsof their efforts went on display at the Milan Furniture Fair. This was furniture-making at its most elemental. No

    electricity was used creating the chairs; instead, the designerslearned how to cleave a log with an axe and mallet, use a bowsaw, operate a pole lathe and wield a range of draw knivesfor shaping timber. It proved to be cathartic for many of thedesigners. As one participating designer Amos Marchanttold me: Theres a rich history of furniture-making which,partly, weve turned our backs on. Using classic companies

    Ercol and Thonet as examples, he added: In contemporarydesign there is obviously a desire to move away from that kindof aesthetic and get into more novel materials and processes.But then you look at what Thonet was doing 150 years agoand a lot of that furniture is still about. Its a sustainablemethod of making. And from a making point of view youhave to try and embrace some of that methodology.

    Bodging Milano has been part of a wider movement.Last years Salone del Mobile was teeming with turned-wood furnishings. Indeed the rise of hand-making at whatremains the worlds most important design fair has beennoticeable for some time. In 2009, one of the most talked-about installations was Craft Punk, which asked a group ofyoung designersRaw-Edges and Glithero among them

    to create new products from the manufacturers offcuts infront of a live audience.

    In 2010 the National Taiwan Craft Research Institutelaunched the Yiiproject with Dutch designer Gijs Bakker,which teamed some of the nations top young designerswith traditional craftsmen to make new objects. MeanwhileWallpaper* magazine has joined forces with Brioni to

    exhibit handmade products. For the past four years theMindcraft installation at Danish Crafts has featured workat the intersection of craft and design by the likes of BenteSkjttgaard, Louise Hindsgavl and Mathias Bengtsson.

    The Bodging project has also spawned industriallymanufactured furniture. The Sunray chair, designed byWilliam Warren, was picked up by UKs Case Furniture and

    is being manufactured in northern Chinathe only way tomeet an affordable price point. While Cases case suggests thelikely future for British manufacturing is in high end, nichemarkets (its unlikely well be able to compete on volume in

    23

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    24/52

    the foreseeable future), it also shows how craft can be usedto influence industrial design.

    Another reason designers are taking an interest in hand-making is necessity. After leaving college they simply cantfind anyone willing to manufacture their ideas, so theyre

    making products themselves or finding craftsmen who cando the job. RCA grad Simon Hasan, for instance, works withboiled leather because the material allows him to controlthe processsomething that wouldnt be possible were heworking in aluminium, for example. The strapline on hiswebsite, collectiveness & craft in industrial design, seems

    apposite. Indeed at this years RCA graduate show it wasfascinating to see so many students finding new ways ofworking with industrial materials. Erik de Laurens madea small milking stool out of plastic derived from milk. Hebelieves local dairies could start manufacturing the material,turning a substance associated with petro-chemical giantsinto a cottage industry.

    While some designers have rediscovered their roots, ahandful has investigated the technological possibilitiesusing 3D printers and laser-cutters as tools, for instance.Jewellers Nora Fok and Ted Noten have put out collectionsusing rapid prototyping, as has ceramicist Michael Eden.Silversmith Drummond Masterton has experimented withCNC milling. Gareth Neal is following in the footsteps ofhis mentor, Fred Baier, combining a craft sensibility andtechnique with contemporary technology.

    The sector has received an intellectual shot in thearm from a handful of books. The Hare with the Amber

    Eyesby potter Edmund de Waal, the story of a collectionof netsuke sculptures his family collected, was one of the

    24

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    25/52

    surprise literary hits of last year. And The Craftsman bysociologist Richard Sennett illustrates how craft thinkingcould be applied to the contemporary workplace. The Case

    for Working with Your Hands: or Why Office Work is Badfor Us and Fixing Things Feels Goodby professor-turned-

    motorcycle mechanic Matthew Crawford has, arguably, hadthe most impact, acting as a set text for members of BritainsCoalition government.

    Want proof? Well, in a recent budget Chancellor GeorgeOsbourne said: We want the words made in Britain,created in Britain, designed in Britain, invented in Britainto drive our nation forward. A Britain carried aloft by themarch of the makers. And in a lecture delivered at theRoyal Society of Arts, Education Minister John Hayes calledfor the creation of a new Arts and Crafts movement andpromised the number of apprentices will rise by 75,000 inthe course of this Parliament. Ours will bemust betheage of the craftsman, he concluded.

    Theres little point pretending craft enjoys the samelevel of glamour as fine art and design yet the boundariesbetween disciplines are mutating beyond recognition. Showslike the Crafts Councils Collect, held at Londons SaatchiGallery, drift into fine art, while major design exhibitionslike the Milan Furniture Fair are full of the handmade.This is a moment when craftspeople can assert themselvesand their values, safe in the knowledge that theyll receivean audience.

    25

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    26/52

    People have really started

    to care about how thingswith what mate

    and whe

    Faye Toogood, designer

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    27/52

    re made,ials

    ther they are made locally.

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    28/52

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    29/52

    THINKING

    THROUGH

    MAKING

    Daniel Charny

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    30/52

    Making is the most powerful way that we solveproblems, express ideas and shape our world.

    What and how we make defines who we are andcommunicates who we want to be.

    For many people, making is critical to survival.For others, it is a chosen vocation: a way of thinking,inventing and innovating. And for some it is simply

    a delight to be able to shape a material and say I

    made that. The power of making is that it fulfillseach of these human needs and desires.

    Those whose craft and ingenuity reach thevery highest levels can create amazing things. But

    making is something almost everyone can do. Theknowledge of how to makeboth everyday objectsand highly skilled creationsis one of humanitysmost precious resources.This is my introduction toPower of Making, an exhibitioncommissioned in 2010 by the V&A museum in London andthe UKs Crafts Council. Power of Making is on route to

    becoming the V&As most popular free exhibition in recordedtime. In its first three months it drew in more than 250,000people, updating their understanding of craft and inspiringthem with the works on show. Its interesting to consider thisoverwhelming reaction: could it be attributed solely to thepower of the exhibited works, or does the exhibition reflecta resurging interest in the subject matter? And why now?

    Would it have had the same response, say, 15 years ago? The exhibition sets out to present the breadth of craftspresence in modern life, highlighting skills and equipmentfrom traditional masonry to modern machinery. It ultimatelypositions craft as a resource through which we solve problemsand express ourselves and asks the question: is it under realthreat? Well, if it is, what, if anything, are we are going todo about it? Does it really matter? Does anyone care?

    If the incredible public response is any indication, theanswer is yes. We could speculate that the dramatic changesin manufacturing in recent times have driven people to

    0830Daniel Charny is a designer,

    senior tutor at Royal College

    of Art and curator of

    Power of Makingexhibition

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    31/52

    31

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    32/52

    making and, inparticular, thinking

    through making

    holds social,economical and

    cultural values thatare particularly suited

    to our times and to

    shaping our future.

    32

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    33/52

    33

    reconsider and even embrace making as one response tohelp deal with change and shape the future. So now thequestion becomes: does the current interest in craft signal

    a requiem or a renaissance? Most makers would answer that making is a continuumand will always be a part of peoples lives. Certainly, wellmade or finely crafted objects will always draw a particularaudience. Yet these do not have the power to boost or renewawareness in any significant way. In fact few people wouldprefer making or fixing to buying new. Meanwhile skills

    are deteriorating rapidly; people are losing their grip onknowledge and, more critically, the memory of the ability.

    Its hard to counter the evidence of all the low-gradestuff that is continually and increasingly being producedand consumed and ends up complicating our lives; theacceptance of disposable and short-life products is wellestablished. Though we mustnt discount the immeasurable

    value that industrial-scale production brings in the form ofmedicine, food and other products that elevate the qualityof life of millions, the cycle of low-quality productsbreeds lower standards. Acceptance of poor materials, badengineering, crude craft and thoughtless design is part ofthe package.

    Some would say its inconceivable that our physical and

    intellectual distance from creation and knowhow could everreverse itself, that making and makers could ever again besignificant enough in our lives to shape our wider future.Perhaps no exhibit, no matter how inspiring or creative,can fix the ultimate impact of the industrial revolution.In this light, Power of Makingmay be merely nostalgicentertainment, an entertaining requiem.

    It may be naive to go so far as to suggest that this set ofcircumstances could be flipped, or that the volume balancebetween mass production and self-production will ever becomparable. But one could make the case that makingand, in particular, thinking through makingholds social,economical and cultural values that are particularly suitedto our times and to shaping our future. The more peopleI talk to the clearer it becomes that, as far as technologyis concerned, we are at a significant turning point. Wheretechnology was seen as a barrier, it now accelerates accessto information and communities. Where technology was

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    34/52

    associated with mass production and corporate brands it isnow emerging as a tool for individuality and independence.One of the most significant shifts is in the way that youngerusers are consulting with one another, learning from peoplerather than reference books; they are listening and being

    heard and forming relationships.This ties in with the changes Ive noticed in the 15 yearssince I started teaching postgraduate design at the RoyalCollege of Art. In our department, consistently through theyears, students have hailed from about 25 countries. Yet Iveseen two distinct changes in their interests and orientation.The first is in their ambition, which has changed course from

    yearning to be an independent star to a more collaborativesocial drive. The second is the relationship to digital andmechanical technology. After over a decade of infatuationwith screen-based design, there has been a dramatic returnto experimentation and thinking by making. Another clearchange is that many of those students experimenting withtraditional making techniques have significantly fewerskillsthough that doesnt stop them, as it might have inthe past. Do these shifts reflect wider societal interests? Ismaking a more critical and accessible means for innovation,cultural production and social progress? Craft, at the forefront of these activities, is often notseen as such. Yet todays craftspeople are rewriting the rules.They embrace new applicationsmutations that happen atthe junction of craft, technology and human ingenuitythat make the artform relevant again. This junction is whereone starts to glimpse a future where making and craft area hotbed for the imaginative use of skills. As writer andcritic Bruce Sterling once put it: The future of making is inhacking the post-industrial milieu.

    34

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    35/52

    35

    ApproAches

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    36/52

    Types of makingMakers use various skills and techniques to shape theirmaterials. They fall into three types:

    Adding techniques connect, layer or combine materials. Theyinclude welding, soldering, veneering, weaving, embroidery

    and painting.Subtracting techniques remove materials. They includecutting, carving, engraving, drilling and grinding.

    Transforming techniques alter materials. They includethrowing clay, blowing glass, forging metal and baking.The transformed states may be temporary or permanent.

    Irreversible transformations occur in processes like vacuumforming, stereolithography and casting.

    Learning a skillMost people can make something, at least at an amateurlevel. But there are many layers of expertise beyond that. Itmay take years to attain complete mastery. Too many peoplenever get a chance to experience a high level of making. Atevery stage in the learning process, a makers relationship tomaterials and tools changes dramatically. What may at firsthave been frustrating becomes pleasurable. Makers start tothink through their skills almost unconsciously. Once theylearn how to use and care for a tool, makers might start

    modifying it, or even invent a new tool to replace it. In allthese ways, learning a skill is a way of opening up futurepossibilities and challenges.

    ApproAches

    of the mAkerby Daniel Charny

    36

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    37/52

    In the zoneAdvanced skills may take a long time to learn, but the feeling

    of being in the zone can be experienced by anyonefroma four year old to a master artisan. When youre absorbedin making, unplanned things happen. The experience isintuitive, like playing sport, and it can be meditative, likemaking music. This sensation of effortless flow is a rewardin its own right, but its also a situation of intense learning.Makers who are immersed in what theyre doing build onexisting skills and discover new ones. Innovations in makinghappen, more often than not, when they are least expected.

    Making new knowledgeAll knowledge about making was once new; someone, sometime, had to formulate it. But theres a big difference between

    established, traditional forms of making and those thatare innovative. Both are crucially important and both can beexpressive, but they serve different purposes.

    Traditional ways of making have been passed down fromgeneration to generation, often through apprenticeships,and learned through repetition. Innovative making is less

    rehearsed and may be less reliablebut it is more exploratory,with the potential to open up dramatic, new directions. Thiscan involve redirecting existing skills or creating new ones.All knowledge, even the most traditional, can be new for anyindividual, but some knowledge is new to us all.

    Thinking by makingMany people think craft is a matter of executing apreconceived idea, something that already exists in the mindor on paper. Yet making is also an active way of thinking andcan be carried out with no particular goal in mind. In fact, itis here that innovation is likely to occur. Sometimes thingsgo wrong in making. Unskilled makers, hitting the limits of

    their ability, might just stop. Experts, though, will find a waythrough the problem, constantly unfolding new possibilitieswithin the process.

    37

    duing

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    38/52

    IN TODAYS HIGH-TECH WORLD therelevance and importance of craft isnt what

    it was in the preindustrial age, or even in the

    early-20th century. But the skills essential

    to making a product by hand should be

    preserved and consequently supported and

    encouraged wherever possible.

    This is not, I would argue, because craft

    is necessarily superior to machine-made

    design. Its because doing so nurtures a

    function thats at the root of how we as

    human beings have evolved, and indeed at the

    root of how we evolved into our mechanised,

    technological and now digital age. For that

    reason, we cant afford to lose our skills. They

    may be innate but they can also be easily lost.

    There is a second, very marketable

    reason for preserving and encouraging

    craft skills, and it stems directly from a

    desire, even need to connect with raw

    materials and handmade products in

    modern societies where the synthetic and

    machine-made is proliferating. There are

    many unmistakable national and local trends

    toward reconnecting with all things natural

    and sustainable, but globally the pendulum is

    yet to swing toward craft.

    Craft in todays marketplace cannot

    survive on nostalgia or intellectual veneration

    alone, however. It needs to harness timeless

    duing

    Dign

    skills and apply them to good, relevant designand efficient, creative methods of production.

    Then it must reach the consumer with a

    relevant sales and marketing strategy.

    Alas, far too often there is a missing link

    in this chain that renders the viability of craft-

    based industries in industrialised societies

    increasingly tenuous. Consider the cost of

    manufacturing, or indeed the large volumes

    necessary to manufacture crafts cost-

    effectively; the pressure on competitive retail

    pricing; the limited choice of suppliers; the

    common belief (in high-wage markets) that

    unless its high-end and high-margin it isnt

    worth doing; and the absence of widespread

    appreciation for crafts and craft skills.

    Unless all these elements work in a mutually

    supportive way and manage to cross-fertilise,

    the chances of sustained success and

    growth remain slim.

    The picture is a complex one and very

    definitely two-way: demand matters as

    much as supply. Our consumerist societies

    have long fostered a culture of consumption

    where an items value is skewed toward

    instant appeal, affordability, fashionability

    and desirability rather than longevity, quality,

    localism and timelessness. This applies to all

    industries. Why buy one well-made garment

    when you can buy five incredibly cheap ones

    38

    t a any uniaabl nainal

    and lal nd wad nning

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    39/52

    and lal nd wad nning

    wi all ing naual and uainabl,

    bu Glbally ndulu i y wing wad a.

    even though you might wear them onlyonce or twice before discarding them? Why

    buy a costly but timeless piece of furniture

    when you can buy a cheap, imported one in

    a different colour and style every season,

    then throw it in a landfill?

    To a large extent the question is one

    of scale. If niche is enough, then crafts

    will probably keep finding outlets where

    traditional skills continue to survive and

    perhaps even thrive. If, on the other hand,

    we begin to demand a greater contribution

    to the manufacturing and retail trade

    from craft and traditional knowhow, the

    system will present new arrivals with real

    challenges to address.

    When we launched Another Country,

    all these factors came into play. While we

    had a good, experienced team behind us,

    we did not strictly come from the design

    or furniture industry; we had no industry

    connections, no network of suppliers, no

    retailers and no manufacturers. So we

    looked at our business with a fresh set of

    eyes. We asked ourselves: Why do it at all?

    Dont we have enough things in the world?

    Is this a useful endeavour? How do we make

    our products? And where? How shall we

    sell them? What is the brand about? What

    are our values? Who is our market? How

    do we sell to them? Where do we sourceour materials? How do we package? What

    are the defining values that should inform

    all of the above, like recyclability and

    sustainability? And on and on.

    The business is one year old now. This

    process was a very important exercise to

    have gone through because it established

    a strong brand identity from the outset. We

    also realised quickly that by choosingat

    least at launchto manufacture in the UK,

    price ourselves competitively and embrace

    craft skills and strong sustainability values,

    the internet based direct-to-customer

    sale model was the only one that worked

    commercially for us. It proved that a

    niche craft brand can come to the fore

    and succeed. But at the same time weve

    recognised the limitations of this model

    and the difficulty of growing with a sole-UK

    manufacturing base.

    Will we overcome this growth challenge

    by altering our business model? Or will we

    retain it along with our values by seeking a

    more sustainable manufacturing base and

    partners elsewhere? Those questions are

    up for debate, but the mission of retaining

    and supporting craft production will endure.

    Paul de Zwartis co-founder of Wallpaper*magazine and founder of Another Country,

    a producer of contemporary craft furniture

    39

    uniaing

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    40/52

    40

    When I reflect on the advancements indesign and craft over the past 20 years, I

    see the fields have undoubtedly benefited

    from a recent surge in public interest. This

    was facilitated, in part, by increased media

    coverage, reflected in a rise in the number

    of trade and consumer design magazines,

    newspaper supplements and TV programmes

    that cover design and new product launches.

    Such media outlets have played a role in

    shaping aspirations and educating people

    about the virtues of well-made, well-designed

    objects. Meanwhile, design shops, exhibitions

    and festivals have flourished to feed our

    newfound appetite for design.

    But the same media that brought about

    this change has had to deal, lately, with an

    influx of competing voices. Digital, the new

    kid on the block, has in less than a decade

    toppled yesterdays definition of news.

    Mobile communications and the immediacy

    of the Internet have placed tremendous

    pressure on traditional media, which is left

    grappling for strategies to adapt. Instant

    content is now the publics expectation. And

    to top it all off, the public doesnt expect to

    have to pay for it.

    The proliferation of blogs and

    social media has given us the ability to

    communicate specialised stories to a

    uniaing

    Dign

    target audience. While traditional mediatakes into account the wider market when

    deciding what is worthy of being published or

    broadcast, now individual niches can pursue

    a market online. The logistical limitations

    on distribution have been superseded by

    sophisticated online search facilities that

    allow us to quickly access what were looking

    for around the globe, at a click. No longer do

    editors and critics dictate content; instead,

    anyone with a passion for a subject can

    express his or her mind. On one hand, its

    liberating. On the other, were continuously

    bombarded with opinions and the headache-

    inducing noise of information overload.

    Its fair to say that the avenues of

    communication available online present

    designers and makers with distinct

    opportunities: freedom from expensive PR

    firms, marketing agencies and the whims

    of editors, for instance. As grandiose as

    it may sound, a website is a portal to the

    world; and for designers and brands, its a

    powerful digital platform for news, ideas and,

    of course, products. And there is hardly a

    single design website out there that doesnt

    engage in e-commerce. After all, the power

    to interact directly with your customer, offer

    bespoke options, ship anywhere in the world

    and earn full margins is irresistible.

    Dign agazin, nwa uln

    and tV ga a v dign []

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    41/52

    41

    [ ]

    av layd a l in aing aiain

    and duaing l abu viu wll-ad, wll-dignd bj.

    It all sounds so easy, yet being discoveredwithin the worlds largest database is a

    distinct challenge. Associating with other

    imaginative products and strong ideas has

    always offered the endorsement producers

    strive for. And so, as with traditional media,

    approval from a respected editorial source

    comes into play. Popular blogs and news

    websites are the gateway to more cyber

    eyes that could potentially click through

    to a burgeoning website. Thereafter, social

    media sites like Twitter and Facebook help

    to boost a following, allowing designers

    to impart their own opinions, values and

    stories to an audience that has already

    signed on to hear it.

    Of course, sustaining such a following

    presents a new hurdle. It is unfair to

    constantly bombard followers and friends

    with non-stop news feeds and product

    updates. And the fallout can be rather

    damaging. Information fatigue is a very real

    problem in the saturated mediascape.

    Moreover, consumers have become

    accustomed to judging objects from a

    printed image, detached from the nuances

    of quality, texture and experience. Its

    triggered many designers to sell their

    products with behind-the-scenes stories

    and videos that convince the cynical

    public theirs is not just another anonymousproduct. Among consumers, this cycle

    has created an appetite for provenance.

    For craftsmen, this added layer of

    communication helps to validate their skills

    and infuse their work with personality.

    While the excitement around new

    media endures and fresh technological

    innovations are unveiled on a daily basis,

    its interesting to observe our continued

    yearning for face-to-face connections.

    We dont want to consume life through a

    screen; we want to stimulate the senses

    with which we were born. We want to enjoy

    personal relationships and experience

    real interaction with our surroundings.

    Exhibitions, conferences, events and

    festivals respond to this and remind us why

    were working in this field: for the palpable

    pleasures that print, TV and the Internet

    could never offer.

    Max Fraseris a design writer, publisherand curator

    xibiing

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    42/52

    42

    THE CHALLENGE to deliver an exceptionalexhibition in London can be irresistible.

    Working in Europes creative capital, sharing

    a platform with many of the worlds best

    designers, latest products and freshest

    ideas means the standard is set very high.

    The pressure this brings maintains and

    reinforces quality, an essential component of

    a good design festival and something a citys

    creative reputation lives or dies by.

    But why exhibit? Production and planning

    are stressful, space is scarce and more

    often than not budgets are tight. The answer

    depends on a key component that shines

    through any good exhibition: the realisation

    of a strong rationale or, simply said, a good

    idea. London thrives on ideas theyre a key

    commodity. Exhibiting allows designers to

    show new ideas, develop narratives and

    expose the process behind designs.

    The motivation to exhibit varies

    enormously. Designers want to experiment,

    test a project or present something as part

    of a development phase. Countries and cities

    seek to shift views, challenge perceptions

    and demonstrate modern thinking and

    skills. Retailers and brands want to launch

    products, say something about themselves,

    secure sales and create desirability.

    Museums and galleries want to explore or

    xibiing

    Dign

    reinforce theories and values around design.Nearly all of them want press coverage and

    an audience.

    Exhibition audiences are easier to

    attract through festivals, but content is

    king. Todays most successful method for

    building excitement is by illustrating a design

    journey showing how ideas evolve into

    products and concepts audiences want to

    buy. Explaining or, better still, demonstrating

    a process behind the making of something is

    highly valued. This craft-inspired aspect of

    exhibiting has helped exhibition organisers

    hone their storytelling skills. It also reflects

    an increasing confidence in the language of

    contemporary design.

    The London Design Festival was devised

    as an open platform for exhibitors. By working

    together, this network is able to create

    opportunities and experiences for a diverse

    audience while also generating business. The

    rise of the design exhibition as experience

    has helped fuel a level of engagement with

    design previously unseen in the UK.

    In this country, our reputation for

    creativity has been hard won. Exhibitions

    on design have played a key role in this,

    communicating directly with audiences at

    home and overseas. Since the mid-1990s

    successive governments have supported this

    exibiing nw ida igg g

    and iula ill nw ida ti

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    43/52

    43

    and iula ill nw ida. ti

    a i idal dbaing iu,

    lving bl and diving innvain.

    activity, nationally and regionally. Aroundthe world, authorities now recognise the

    importance of harnessing creativity, both

    to enhance reputations and as a driver for

    economic growth.

    Creativity is now regarded as a core

    strategic strength in the UK, one that

    attracts a skilled workforce, world-class

    design businesses and international trade.

    The design sector has a turnover of more

    than 5 billion and employs nearly 61,000

    people. In London the creative industries

    generate one in three new jobs and the

    creative sector is the second biggest

    contributor to the citys GDP second only

    to the financial sector.

    In less than a decade since the first

    London Design Festival was staged, design

    festivals have proliferated worldwide. In

    fact there are nearly 100 festivals staged

    each year around the world and most are

    supported by governments in one way

    or another. This support is best when its

    offered with a light touch; government-

    staged design exhibitions can be staid,

    or can even strangle the creativity they set

    out to promote.

    The success of festivals in promoting a

    city or countrys design credentials is now

    well established. The best festivals tend

    to reflect their location, or the conditions

    in which theyre set. The best ideas reflect

    a hunger for authenticity. And shows that

    highlight the exciting possibilities of the

    future provide a powerful antidote to the

    gloom of financial downturns.

    Londons traditional ability to

    blend culture and commerce means a

    collaborative approach prospers, setting

    the stage for a wide variety of interests

    to be met and, in turn, creating a true

    festival. By specifically setting out

    to include the widest range of design

    disciplines (up to 20 are included in each

    London Design Festival), we avoid having to

    settle for simply a furniture exhibition or a

    graphics show; the approach is to blend a

    range of design skills.

    A festival is, by definition, a

    celebration. Exhibiting new ideas triggers

    progress and stimulates still newer ideas.

    This atmosphere is ideal for debating

    issues, solving problems and driving

    innovation. Prosperous economies rely on

    innovation, and festivals succeed at moving

    governments to acknowledge the great

    potential of design.

    William Knightis the Deputy Directorof London Design Festival

    lling

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    44/52

    44

    ITS A STRANGE WORLD in retail right now.

    The pressure to provide cheap products

    is increasing as news headlines fill people

    with fear of the future. Rising prices on raw

    materials far outstrip salary growth. The

    changing face of mainstream retail has left

    streets in cities from London to Madrid to

    Copenhagen with the same clothing stores,

    mobile-phone outlets and sports brands,

    reducing the pleasure we get from travelling.

    Fewer and fewer products are made in our

    part of the world.

    Yet for clever independent retailers

    there are opportunities to exploreif they

    are prepared to work harder on sourcing,

    presentation and branding. Tourists visiting

    other continents expect unique products;

    Chinese visitors to Europe do not travel

    across the globe to shop for items made back

    home, and the same goes for Europeans

    visiting Japan. Increasingly, consumers are

    demanding products made locally, both for

    environmental and nostalgic reasons. Luckily

    for smaller manufacturers and retailers, the

    big players dont seem to be able to capture

    this market; they require big volumes and

    streamlined products to keep the wheels

    turning and institutional shareholders happy.

    The result is a polarization between

    global budget retailing and local niche

    lling

    Dign

    retailing, with the middle market shrinking.

    Prior to 2008, this circumstance would

    have been described as a rise in luxury

    consumption, but that term has become

    not only pass but vulgar. Instead its being

    replaced with a sentiment once articulated

    by German designer Dieter Rams: Buy less

    but better. Its no longer about buying brands

    heavily promoted in expensive ad campaigns,

    but about spending whatever money is still

    available on quality goods with a story to tell,

    items that make you happy.

    The world is still filled with small

    workshops, factories and makers. The

    challenge for them is to find designers and

    retailers who value their manufacturing

    skills. Yet this is easier said than done. These

    sorts of small makers and manufacturers

    are often old, conservative and unable

    to see the opportunities in front of them.

    Designers, meanwhile, prefer to seek out

    manufacturers who are equipped to take over

    the whole process, from product development

    to the shop shelf. And retailers want all the

    packaging and marketing done before they

    place their order. Everyone is looking for

    the easiest solution. The answer for some

    retailers is to team the right designer with the

    right manufacturer in order to create a limited

    run of exclusive productsthough it often

    evy du qui a uan and

    a ag cuniaing i

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    45/52

    45

    a ag.cuniaing i

    anuauing n g a

    ndu n u.

    requires more effort than attending the big

    trade fairs and filling in order forms.

    The division of design in the West and

    manufacturing in the East brings with it new

    challenges and risks. In the past, some of

    the best designs were close collaborations

    between the designer and the factory

    worker. But when this communication is

    cut offor at best carried out by a sourcing

    officethe design suffers. Besides which,

    consumers have become too far removed

    from the manufacturing process. Just

    as people rarely think of the farmer who

    bred the cow or harvested the wheat, the

    craftsman who turned the bowl or made the

    chair has become invisible.

    Yet every product requires a human

    hand at some stage. Communicating

    this manufacturing process often gets a

    tremendous response from customers. Even

    products made overseas would benefit from

    this; if you knew the face of the person in

    Thailand or India who made your clothes,

    it would connect you to their product.

    A products virtue is not in where its made

    but under what circumstances. Thus visiting

    a glassworks in Italy should not be a better

    experience than visiting a ceramics factory

    in Asia, just different. Everything is locally

    made from someones perspective.

    All these considerations come together

    when a retailer is trying to source a new

    product. But their single biggest challenge

    is to communicate the value of the product

    to the customer, something that is not

    always easy in a busy world. Fashion brands

    are very good at explaining why a handbag

    can cost as much as a sofa, yet sofa brands

    arent very good at explaining why a sofa

    can cost as much as a handbag. Some

    retailers still seem to think its enough to

    put up some shelves, fill them with products

    and wait for the customers to walk in. But,

    thanks to the popularity of online shopping,

    those days are long gone. Its not enough

    for a store to be a glorified warehouse

    nowadays; it needs to inspire. Retail should

    be a joy for all the senses.

    Magnus Englundis the co-owner ofSkandium, a contemporary design store

    in London

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    46/52

    on ivd a lain

    a, llibl dign a b

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    47/52

    47

    a, llibl dign a b

    adlin nw and a nniu i

    wiin induy.

    Midcentury design by French modernists

    like Jean Royre, Jean Prouv and

    Charlotte Perriand has dominated the

    market due to its quality and availability.

    Original furniture by equally important

    midcentury designers is more rare because

    so little of it was made. But Prouv and

    Perriand produced volumes for schools and

    hospitals, just the sort of stuff that tends to

    stick around.

    Yet even this rich vein is being

    depleted, and interest is slowly shifting

    to contemporary practitioners, both

    established and emerging. Whats

    fascinating about the market for

    contemporary design is that the galleries

    and auction houses arent necessarily

    driving it, despite conventional wisdom. Its

    popularity stems largely from a confluence

    of longtime collectors and progressively

    sophisticated consumers shunning

    ubiquitous or commonplace design.

    Increasingly, these collectors are acquiringdesign with an agenda that goes beyond

    function, hence the correlation with art.

    This is symptomatic of the radical

    changes coming about within the industry.

    The seeds of rebellion were first sown

    in the late-1970s, when postmodernist

    designersincluding Italys Alessandro

    Mendini and Ettore Sottsassintroduced

    craftsmanship into their work, partly

    to signify their rejection of modernist

    conventions. They encouraged a market for

    unique collectible design that often defied

    definitions of design. These early insurgents

    were followed by British-based designer

    makers like Ron Arad and Tom Dixon, who,

    lacking support from the industry, began to

    realise one-off pieces. Meanwhile a band of

    Dutch designers, including Hella Jongerius,

    Tejo Remy and Jurgen Bey, was introducing

    wry humor and narrative to their designs for

    Amsterdam-based Droog.

    Todays younger generation of

    designers is heir to this radicalism and

    rebellion. Many new nameswhether

    mindful of adding to the superfluous glut

    or seeking to work free from industrial

    constraintsaspire to design for the

    collectible market. Doing so is an

    opportunity for expression, not to mention

    a critical commentary on the industry andthe political and social issues they feel are

    pertinent to their lives. Its for this reason

    that I proudly stand behind collectible

    design as a patron, editor and gallerist.

    Libby Sellersis the founder ofGallery Libby Sellers, a contemporary

    design gallery in London

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    48/52

    I think a lot of materials ar and the price on mater

    and that will ma a lesser

    And I think that will op

    Nina Tolstrup, designer

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    49/52

    going to be scarce,ial is going to go up,

    e the labour costart of the total calculation.

    n up opportunities

    to produce locally.

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    50/52

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    51/52

  • 8/13/2019 Danish Crafts Design and Making

    52/52