"Out of hand”: craft research today
Knott, Stephen (2023) "Out of hand”: craft research today. In: European Academy of Design Conference, 'Extreme Making', 20 October 2023, Glasgow, UK. (Unpublished)
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In this paper I deploy the multiple meanings of the term ‘out of hand’ to explore the ways in which craft contributes to and challenges cultures of research within art and design schools. At the centre of this pithy phrase lies the hand – at the roots of craft practice and extreme making with its contiguous relationship to the development of human culture. Yet when placed in the context of academic research, craft as a method, output or concept has often been rejected ‘out of hand;’ its immediacy, sensory qualities, too-close connection to object production and messiness preventing craft from finding as firm a footing in the academy as other disciplines. Perhaps the tide is turning. New materialism and the embrace of multi-disciplinary methods, as well as the continued interest in craft within wider culture, have shone a spotlight on what craft might offer. In a culture where there is an underlying feeling that things are ‘out of hand’ – i.e. not fully under control – does the craftsperson well versed in mitigating risk and working through failure through intimate material knowledge offer something of a respite. These questions will be considered in the course of presenting examples of craft research from contemporary practitioners and researchers, and my own experience of supervising PhD students.
Conference theme: Extreme Making: Expansive Methods and Critical Themes in Design Doctoral Research and Education.
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