The Art of the Maker — Craft, Design and Technology in the 21st Century

Abstract

Invention, innovation and insight are keywords for any technologist and designer working in the academic or commercial sector. In the twenty-first century, a wealth of new and emerging materials, alongside digital methods for the manufacture of products and services are transforming and enhancing our lives. But there are also the age-old techniques and crafts traditions that demonstrate fundamental benchmarks in material culture that are the foundation for high-quality printing and fabrication today and in the future. And without these benchmarks in quality, we have no assurance as to diversity and quality over the ubiquitous and inadequate.Exploring the future of printing and fabrication, new ways of thinking and working, alongside traditional methods of making, this paper sets out the shifting field of Homo Faber and the human condition, and how digital technologies are transforming craft and design.The presentation includes multi-disciplinary research undertaken at The Centre for Fine Print Research (CFPR). Researchers are exploring and researching new transformative technologies, working and communicating across disciplines and industries. The Centre is at the forefront of craft and digital fabrication, combining knowledge of traditional and new tools, sustainable materials as part of the circular economy, robotics for practice-led design, exploring physical and tactile surfaces for human engagement, and historic methods for cultural reconstruction.