The culture of craft

Peter Dormer presents a series of lively, clearly argued discussions about the relevance of handcraft in a world whose aesthetics and design are largely determined by technology. Indeed, one of the key questions discussed in the book is what makes the difference between a craft and a modern technology. What role does the craftsperson play in the professional life of the designer? Is the craft of design itself threatened with deskilling by technology? And what are we to make of the emergence this century of that separate arts activity we call 'the studio crafts'. What are the cultural barriers that prevent the studio crafts from being regarded simply as either art of design? Most important of all, what are the values that encourage people to want to make things themselves despite the apparent marginality of crafts? These are among the questions discussed in this collection of essays written by distinguished writers who include T.A. Heslop, Slade Professor of Art, University of Cambridge; Dr Paul Greenhalgh, Head of Research at the Victoria and Albert Museum; and Rosemary Hill, writer and broadcaster and biographer of Pugin.