Art and Cræft: a Philosophy

My artistic practice has been shaped by my study of archaeology and material culture. I am inspired by traditional ways of making, by folk and vernacular technologies, by the construction of identity through the creation of cræft, and by ancient and historical motifs, symbols, and lifeways. 

Vernacular craftsmanship is the source of my most enduring inspiration: the term refers to handcrafted goods, arts, objects, and structures that are made by local folk, using traditional methods and native materials, implementing skills that were often passed down through generations. The goal of such craftsmanship was to create objects that are both beautiful and functional, meant for ordinary, everyday use in response to the demands of ordinary, everyday lives. 

Vernacular items embody sustainability, environmental adaptation, and unique character. They also reinforce the relationship of makers to the rhythms of the natural landscape on- and by which- they make. Perhaps most importantly, vernacular ways of making have helped subcultures maintain community identity under or within oppressive colonial regimes or during periods of migration, serving as powerful touchstones of identity during times of cultural stress or pain and as overt or covert resistance to assimilation or subversion.  

Archaeologists often study vernacular craftsmanship using a theory called chaîne opératoire, which, in short, is a scholarly way to examine and describle every stage of the life of an item: from raw material acquisition, material processing, initial creation, then use, perhaps re-working/re-using/recycling/repairing, and eventually through disposal. It often becomes clear that historically, items don't have simple, linear lives, but instead cycle through many phases, looping back on themselves many times, and potentially travelling through the hands of many generations! I find the lives of these items to be particularly compelling given the prevalence of today's "use-once-then-discard" cultural norm.

Right now, I use my art practice to explore these cyclic themes.  I explore ideas such as fallow/fertile periods, conservation and thrift, and make/mend cycles, and the transformation of items from one functional life to the next through re-working. I do so primarily through creation and manipulation of textiles using traditional hand-weaving, dyeing, and surface decoration. I also sometimes work with gathered or unconventional material. While I often start my work from a foundation of historic weaving structures or practices, I aim to use them to germinate ideas rather than attempting a high-fidelity continuation or recreation of an ancient craft. 

My goal is to reflect on how textiles and other vernacular objects can be vessels for collective identity. I aim to blur the line between functionality and decoration, and I explore textiles as objects that are foundational to- but also metaphorical of- humanity and central to the human experience, from deep antiquity to the present day.