Why Design?
Craft as the soul of design
So, is there a difference between craft and design, and what do you think of the idea of craft as the soul of design? For me it works, but maybe not for you. For me it’s a proposition that argues that design without some craft in it is soulless. Think airport lounges and you will agree. However, design by itself has an efficiency that plays out well in social and economic terms. Think straight roads.
But the proposition that design can have soul, or uplifting cultural resonances, is conveyed well by the inclusion of authorship and making, which are two of craft’s main characteristics, along with respect for a medium and creativity expressed through a time based process. And a soul? A quaint word to carry around in a contemporary lexicon’s lunch box I know, but perhaps all a soul is a shared memory of what’s great and good about the world – an inbuilt sense of procreation’s need to have a reason beyond mere lust for continuation of a species.
And can craft lack a soul – I think we all know the answer to that one is yes. Yes, especially in the context of awful souvenirs and tragic exploitation of a society’s symbols. Craft that doesn’t explore or infer a connection between maker and eventual owner is often intuitively felt as being rather dead. True an imagined purpose for a piece of kitsch can revitalise a stuffed koalas, especially when the gift may be given loving to a nice child, but really, the mass manufactured item, has became blessed by the act of generous giving, and perhaps acquired some soul in the process.
Design has got off lightly in terms of its role in society. We should collectively demand more of it as a discipline and see it as a framework as a framework for delivering social outcomes. We are at time fearful of critiquing design and see its very presence as impressive and beyond our power as individuals. Large scale design can house a range of layered meanings, and small scale design has the advantage of being bought, and owned. We all want to own something.
Joe Pascoe
CEO & Artistic Director, Craft Victoria
Related Links
Craft Victoria — www.craftvic.asn.au
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Emma Davies Private Party
Emma shows off both new techniques and a different direction in this exhibition of black polypropylene party pieces inspired by the 1950's punch bowl set.