Craft Communities Research Articles

“The Way We Build”: Craft, Innovation, and Sustainability in Japanese House-Carpentry

Abstract This article expands and complicates the literature on “craft” by examining the seeming anomaly of a craft community dominating a significant production sector within an advanced industrial economy, and despite the existence of cheaper high-tech and labor-saving alternatives. Japanese house-carpenters, organized into very small firms with very local markets, and producing “traditional” house-frames in small batches, have long held prefabrication and other alternatives at bay through a process of conservative innovation. The primary goal of their innovative process has been the protection and continuance of house-carpentry as a relevant and marketable skill, and of its practitioners as a self-sustaining community. This craft is not an exemplar of sustainability in other ways, however, despite its association with the traditional and organic. Its house-products have unnaturally short lives given Japanese methods of accounting for property value, and its raw material, foreign-sourced old-growth forests, are increasingly subject to global conservation efforts.

Exploring traditional thread-making and simple weaving used in OPP lamination film upcycling for ecologically responsible textile craft

Aiming for sustainable eco-friendly craft/design practice, this design research explored upcycling-practice of OPP plastic waste using traditional technology to create an alternative raw material for textile craft. By combining cultural investigation into the textile-making tradition with Cradle-to-Cradle design principles, we identified the potential of traditional technology as an ecologically responsible production process. We also developed upcycling method to process OPP plastic waste material. This research resulted in: (1) thread-making techniques that produce different sizes of thread as raw materials and hand-woven textile, (2) revitalized endangered indigenous technology of craft-making that had been a part of human-nature ecology, (3) eco-design education that can be accepted by local textile craft community, and (4) textile craft products that express the local identity and promote environmental care.

Sustainable Craft Design Systems for Handloom Weavers

The winds of change are often blown by forces of nature like draught, famine, floods, earthquakes, and deadly pandemics which displace the craft communities from their native lands for livelihood. Despite this the handloom sector has suffered severe setbacks in the past decades and has struggled to cope with them. The paper aims to study the handloom craft design system of India, recognizing the strategies to strengthen and develop sustainable craft design system for handloom weavers. This exploratory paper is based on a review of the literature and observations. Case studies of the design interventions, craft study and chronology, at various handloom craft clusters are analyzed to understand the impact on the handloom craft design system, the transition from physical to digital retail that has penetrated the handloom weaving communities, government, and NGO organizations’ support and nature of funding models involved. Craft design education and consumer awareness would increase sensitivity to changing markets scenarios. Communication about the textile process and authenticity is important to encourage the consumers to make mindful choices and support authentic handloom textiles which are integral to slow fashion. The system-based approach for sustainable craft design is essential to bring wholistic and value-based strategies for resurgent handloom weaving communities.

Cultural transmission and perception of vessel shapes among Hebron potters

While craft apprenticeship can be understood as socially mediated individual learning, the ensuing prediction of individual and cultural object traits within craft communities has not been investigated. Here we provide an assessment of vessel shape variations occurring through cultural transmission and their visual perception by the craftsmen. To this end, 26 Hebron potters distributed through nine familial transmission units were asked to produce vessels of three different pottery types, then 21 of the participants were invited to visually identify their proper vessels and those of five other potters. We used the Elliptical Fourier method to analyze vessel shape variation among the productions. Our findings demonstrated that the learning process modified the ceramic shape, the cultural morphological traits being combined with new individual traits. Moreover, the individual morphological traits overtook the cultural ones, which is supposed to lead to divergence of vessel shapes within the transmission chain. If certain cultural morphological traits perpetuate through generations, this certainly does not result from fidelity copying occurring through learning but from stabilizing mechanisms such as consumer demand. Our results showed that potters do perceive the subtle same-type vessel shape variations and thereby could select the individual variant they prefer to produce.

Education of Waste Management Based on Zero Waste in Kendal District (Case Study: Waste Recycling Craft Community (Kerdus), Kendal District, Central Java)

Garbage is a global problem that should be handled properly from the source to cut off the flow of waste. Therefore, it is necessary to educate the public about the importance of protecting the biosphere from waste and the application of an environmentally friendly lifestyle. The focus of this research is on the KerDUS Community of Kendal Regency as a community of environmental care volunteers who educate plastics, the environment, and ecobricks, as well as environmentally friendly lifestyles. This research is qualitative phenomenological research that reflects the activities of the KerDUS Community as a community that has succeeded in educating the people of Kendal Regency and its surroundings in reducing waste. Data comes from primary and secondary sources collected from interviews, participatory observation, documentation, and questionnaires. The results showed 76% of the training participants had implemented the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) in their daily life both at home and outside the home. Offline workshop with snacks from environmentally friendly food and bring your own tumbler as a drinking place. Many participants have locked their plastic in an ecobrick to make it an environmentally friendly product that can be assembled and assembled.

Whose futures need crafting? A collaborative evaluation of the British Council/Crafts Council Crafting Futures 5K grant scheme

Sandra Fruebing and Rachel Kelly were recipients of 2018–19 British Council/Crafts Council Crafting Futures 5k grants. A dialogue between Fruebing and Kelly started when they both returned from their project work in Egypt and the Philippines respectively. Both participants related their experiences through their conversations and this led them to discuss and reflect through regular online exchanges stretching from 2019 to 2020. They both are now considering how their experiences of working with marginalized craft communities have become a position from which to consider the role of development in Art & Design Higher Education research and practice. The spectrum of collaboration and companionship that is emerging from their work, both individually and through online meetings and conversations, become like a radio signal, which is tuning and making audible their similar experiences and understandings.

Painted Pomegranates and Needlepoint Rabbis: How Jews Craft Resilience and Craft Community by Jodi Eichler-Levine

Painted Pomegranates and Needlepoint Rabbis: How Jews Craft Resilience and Craft Community by Jodi Eichler-Levine

Developing a Model for Packaging and Popularizing Township Tourism in Zimbabwe

Purpose: There is tremendous potential for vibrant township tourism in Zimbabwe. The country boasts an abundance of township tourism resources such as monuments of colonial history, administrative centers, informal sector activities, co-existence of traditional and modern cuisine, art and craft centers, community markets, iconic personalities and buildings, and others. Despite this rich heritage of tourism resources, township tourism has failed to attract a critical mass of clients to make it viable thereby depriving the country of potential revenue of this form of alternative tourism. Keeping this in mind, the main objective of the study was to develop a model for packaging and popularising township tourism in Zimbabwe.
 Method: The study adopted a qualitative methodology. Data were collected from Tour operators, residents, and Zimbabwe Tourism Authority through participant observations and in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach.
 Results: The study revealed key challenges to the growth of township tourism being lack of finance, lack of support from authorities, illegal operators, and limited access to markets, stringent operational laws, and poor understanding of the concept. Furthermore, tour operators and residents were of the view that information should be disseminated through publicity associations, using brochures and travel shows to aid in popularising township tourism. Respondents highlighted the need for educating all stakeholders on township tourism and creating mutual relationships.
 Implications: Recommendations included stakeholder involvement and tour operators’ in-depth knowledge of iconic tourism resources in the township. It further recommends a strategic partnership with international tour operators offering township tourism.

Online matters: Future visions of digital making and materiality in hobby crafting

Abstract Over the past twenty years, hobby crafting has experienced a revival of interest, as people have started to seek new ways to engage with crafts as creative leisure in an increasingly digital world. Along the way, emerging, digital technologies have provided new tools and ways to engage in hobby crafting. Indeed, today’s hobby crafts are frequently concerned with material mediated via the internet and accomplished with the aid of software, which also affects our understanding of maker identities in online communities. This article argues that digitalization has not only revolutionized hobbyist craft making with new tools and technologies, but has also paved new ways for practising creative skills, which has had a significant impact on makers’ engagements with craft materials, objects and communities of practices. This is demonstrated through netnographic explorations on Facebook’s leisure craft community where digital material practices are increasingly prevalent in hobbyists’ everyday life. As a conclusion, the article speculates on visions of the future of hobby crafts and its relevance as a leisure pursuit.

Basic education and training priority on strategy of empowerment of micro and small industry of leather craft in Magetan regency

This study aims to determine the empowerment strategy of micro and small industries of leather craft in Magetan. By using the same data from 10 selected respondents from Department of Industry and Commerce (DISPERINDAG) Magetan Regency, the owner of micro and small industry of leather craft, and leather craft community. The analysis technique used Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The AHP results show that there are four alternative fields that are the respondents, the first are human resources, the second are innovations, the third are productions and the last are marketing. Based on the results of AHP analysis, the alternative program in the whole program of empowerment of micro and small industries of leather craft in Magetan Regency are: 1) Basic education and training with Leather Hall and College, 2) Skill improvement, 3) introduction of new products, 4) training and creativity of production, 5) opening market opportunities through exhibitions and social media, 6) reduce sales tax for micro and small industries, 7) entrepreneurship training, 8) new production technology, 9) development of existing products, 10) provide galleries for the marketing of micro and small industries, 12) facilitate the procurement of raw materials.

Середньовічні витоки стріт-арту

The article deals with "street art" as a kind of urban culture, outrageous self-expression of urban youth. Its study is condensed mainly on modern modifications of phenomena such as graffiti, video projection, art intervention, flash mob and more. But the historical forms of this phenomenon, whose roots go back to cave times, are much more diverse and unexpected. The ancient street art is pretty well known to us, however the medieval street art, even the closest ‒ European, scientists were much less interested. However, the Soviet-era disregard for the experience of the Middle Ages, which was one of the most important links in the progress of our culture, is deeply flawed. The aim of this study is a scientific description of the street art of medieval Europe, its structure, spiritual orientation, genre originality and potential for further development. The article gives a detailed analysis of the theoretical projection of the problem (formation of the phenomenon of "street art" on the border of folklore and experience of professional art) and the practical need to expand the concept of street art in its historical diachrony in the study and teaching of world and domestic culture. The main idea of the articles is a comparison of medieval street art with its folklore and, in part, ancient origins, as well as the establishment of points of contact with the future Proto-Renaissance world. The article emphasizes that religious-Christian consciousness prevailed in medieval Europe, and this meant a radical change in worldview. Being ceased to be perceived as an "eternal whirlpool": the eschatological concept of the Bible prompted us to realize the temporality of the material world and the need to find ways to Eternity. Thus, street art, which used to be a signification of the everyday interests of citizens, has now received the status of a "signpost to Heaven", expressing a predominantly pious spiritual search for the urban community. This can be seen even in various inscriptions, signs, craft communities, etc. At the same time, phenomena marginal to the dominant church culture, such as "carnival culture", which condensed the hedonistic motives of pagan heritage, developed certain traditions of chivalric culture and were sometimes an echo of heretical teachings, are carefully analyzed. This article reports the results of a medieval street art as a powerful component in the formation of European culture and contributed to the involvement of broad sections of uneducated citizens in the spiritual life of the era. This situation largely became the foundation of the formation of the Renaissance process. The article is of great help to a more detailed and in-depth study of this important historical and cultural phenomenon.

BATIK GEBLEK RENTENG KULON PROGO :

Intellectual Property Rights is a wealth of all the products of the production of intelligence, such as technology, knowledge, art, literature, compositions of songs, written works, caricatures, etc. that are useful for humans. IPR management can have both positive and negative consequences. Therefore, researchers will see the results of community empowerment strategies through the management of intellectual property rights for local batik products together in Kulon Progo. Informants used qualitative research with informants using snowballs. Data collection techniques are done using observation, interviews and documentation. Interviews were conducted with Bappeda and the Kulon Progo Regency industry, trade and ESDM department and the batik craft community in Kulon Progo. The Geblek renteng batik motif is a typical batik motif from Kulon Progo. Secondly, only the Kulon Progo community is permitted to produce joint-style geblek batik motifs. Third, there may not be artisans using batik stamps or printing in the making of geblek renteng batik motifs, fourth, providing training and capital assistance for batik craftsmen in the Kulon Progo region.

Diversity Development: Studies from Local Wisdom of Dayak in the Border Community of Indonesia-Malaysia

Dayak ethnic life can not see in isolation with ecological conditions; that is where they live. Philosophy of life depends on the nature of the Dayak community, because without the natural result will be disrupted livelihoods for local people. In the Indonesia-Malaysia border region, small communities dwelt Dayaks and form local wisdom. In this paper, look the part of local wisdom of the Dayak community as an adhesive diversity in the border region. This paper uses a descriptive qualitative approach, where data derived from primary data and secondary data. Data obtained by observation and interviews, then the data is processed into the descriptions. The findings in this paper describe the life of the local Dayak communities in the border region and its interaction with the community in Malaysia. Then, woven splint, which is the local craft community, into the value of the adhesive between Dayak communities in the border region.

Empowerment Management Model of Batik Craftsman Entrepreneurship Development

The Batik is a craft community that has been the identity, uniqueness, and culture riches that needs to be preserved. The study aims to create empowerment management model of batik craftsmen entrepreneurship development. The study and analysis used Research and Development methods. Data is collected through observation, deep interview, and documentation. The informant has been decided by purposive sampling, namely batik craftsmen, high school student as a generation of batik and batik observers. The research location in Susukan, Banjarneara district of Central Java Province at Indonesia. The results showed that (1) The lack of young generation of batik craftsmen, thus it requires development management through community empowerment of younger generation to preserve local cultural riches. (3) The empowerment management could be designed comprehensively and continuously by involving all parties namely the community, government, universities and private parties.

Sahaj Crafts: the challenge of alleviating poverty in Western Rajasthan

Learning outcomes The learning objectives of this case are as follows: identify and understand the major challenges/problems faced by a social enterprise in promoting handicraft business; examine the value chain architecture of handicraft products; assess the role of the protagonist (Sanjay) as a social change agent in shaping a successful social enterprise; assess Sahaj Crafts' initiatives and analyze whether the key intervention/s planned/executed were required for skilling up of rural artisans and upgradation of handicraft business; know the marketing strategies for handicraft products; and understand the “strategies” which need to be applied for uplifting people's lives at the bottom of pyramid in general and for enlivening of artisans’ clusters in particular. The outcomes are as follows: examining the value chain architecture of handicraft product; understanding the difficulties and challenges of structuring a viable social business model; examining the role of Sanjay as a social change agent in shaping a successful social enterprise; and examining the model of Craft Incubation Center and design education proposed by Sahaj Crafts for improving rural artisans’ livelihood and skills upgradation. Case overview/synopsis Sanjay Joshi – the promoter and CEO of “Sahaj Crafts” (a social enterprise established in Western Rajasthan, India), an initiative to strengthen indigenous skills and mainstream rural craft products and artworks – is faced with the question of how to scale up his organization’s operations. Doing so requires that he address these fundamental challenges in terms of – how to deal with unorganized craft communities; match up product orientation to market demands; integrate modern technology / processes in craft business; combat restricted mobility of women artisans; and make effective interventions so that the artisans learn and enjoy working in the current model and solve the financial issues faced by the social enterprise. Providing effective and implementable answers to those questions is vital to Sahaj Craft’s development in attaining its mission to alleviate poverty in the region. Failing to expand operations above a critical scale may leave Sahaj Crafts vulnerable in meeting sufficient demand for contemporary craft products in the mainstream markets. Complexity academic level This case study is primarily suitable for post-graduate level management students to teach the concepts of designing and operationalizing a “social” business model in a social entrepreneurship module. This case study can also be used for highlighting business model innovations in the social sector of emerging markets. The case could be taught in the following academic domains: social entrepreneurship; bottom of the pyramid; social inclusion; supply chain consolidation (vertical integration in a value chain); marketing strategies for handicraft products; branding; brand positioning; cost and management accounting. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship

Swimming into modernity: innovation and invention amongst aquatic craft communities in Victorian England

ABSTRACTWhile it was mainly limited to bathing in the natural environment in the early nineteenth century, swimming subsequently developed into a competitive activity, stimulated by the expansion of facilities created by the 1846 and 1878 Baths and Washhouses Acts. In the absence of national structures, progress in all aspects of aquatics relied upon the innovative approaches taken by swimming ‘professors’, working individually and collectively through informal craft communities, who used their expertise to improve techniques and introduce new technologies. These artisans also penetrated the entertainment industry by creating aquatic shows in music halls and theatres, swimming baths, in sea and rivers, and in aquaria and circus rings. Through their innovative use of technology, their creativity in both sporting and entertainment environments, and their promotion of the female swimmer, these communities demonstrated a willingness to embrace modernity that fundamentally altered attitudes to swimming and created the basis for the contemporary sport.

‘Crafting a way forward’: online participation, craftivism and civic engagement in Ravelry’s Pussyhat Project group

ABSTRACT A powerful visual symbol of social protest and a success story of online organizing, the Pussyhat is a prominent illustration of the revival of craftivism in the current political climate. Analyzing the activity of the Pussyhat Project group within the online craft community Ravelry, this article aims to facilitate a deeper understanding of emerging practices of civic expression and participation, and the ways in which online participation might reflect and support these practices. Our analysis reveals the magnitude and particular characteristics of older women’s civic engagement, the function of craft as a gateway to civic expression and participation, and the significance of the online community as a source of practical and socioemotional support. This research thus sheds important light on evolving notions of activism and civic engagement in the digital age and contributes to a better understanding of the participatory practices of older women in interest-based online spaces.

Strategi Pengembangan Banjar Samu, Singapadu Kaler Sebagai Desa Wisata Di Kecamatan Sukawati, Kabupaten Gianyar

The research aim is to determine development strategy of Banjar Samu as a tourism village. This research used qualitative and quantitative data with source from primary and secondary data. Observation, interview and documentation are data collection techniques. The sample method used purposive sampling while data analysis used descriptive qualitative and SWOT analysis.
 Based on the results, the research indicate is that Banjar Samu have tourism potential which is consisted of natural potentials include panorama of rice fields and water springs. While the potential of culture include: community activities, hospitality and attitude of mutual cooperation, temples: building architecture and religious activity, sacred art of barong landung and another arts entertainment such as joged bumbung, arja, gambelan geguntangan, as well as local craft communities such as wood carving, silver handicrafts, yoga-meditation activity and sekaa such as sekaa gong, joged, geguntangan, arja, angklung, subak and sekaa santi.
 Based on the analysis of SWOT Matrix, the results obtained by SO strategies are improving the quality of tourism potential and establish tourist activity. ST strategy is improving the security services. WO strategies are increasing cooperation with the government college, arranging some promotion. WT strategies are providing education and establish a tourist village management system immediately.
 
 Keywords: Tourism Potential, Strategy Development, TourismVillage

The Workmanship of Risk Meets Reality TV: The History Channel’s Forged in Fire

Recent years have seen a distinctive revival in blacksmithing and bladesmithing as seen within the genre of Reality TV in the form of the History Channel’s Forged in Fire series, which competitively pits bladesmiths, farriers, and blacksmiths against each other to produce knives and historically based weapons. This article examines the cultural representation of this craft and shows how David Pye’s classic concept of the workmanship of risk helps understand the representation of craft within the series. However, his concept of risk is rearticulated in an artificial way due to against-the-clock challenges instilled by the format of the series. Furthermore, the article explores the ways in which makers respond to such challenges and exemplifies Howard Risatti’s conception of the expression of poiesis within their metalcraft work. As such, although a Reality TV series, Forged in Fire can be situated as a potent representation of the craft production of bladed weapons and metalwork that consistently explores the technical nature of the craft and stresses the extent to which traditional skills such as bladesmithing and blacksmithing are being practiced in vibrant professional contemporary craft communities. However, the simulated and spectacle-driven nature of the series does raise questions concerning how television represents craft practice and is compelled to artificially dramatize it.

Collaborations and Design Development of Local Craft Products: Service Design for Creative Craft Community

Local craft product is one of the key elements in expressing different identities of local culture in different countries. Local craft communities in Thailand have quite unique skills in producing different craft using local materials and techniques. However, the craft production is later facing the problem of missing their own identity. The products are also unable fit to the demand of international market. This research is a result of the co-creation project on developing local craft products which is a part of the research on a service design for creative craft community: A case study of Phanusnikom district, Chonburi province, Thailand. The benefits of this study will stimulate the development and preservation of local craft products and communities in a more sustainable way. This study aims to explore the possible methods of how designers, local craftsmen, academic institutions and local business clusters can collaborate and raise new opportunities for the communities to become a creative craft space. The study has concentrated on a case study of Phanusnikom District, Chonburi Province, Thailand where most of the people are creating wickerwork from bamboo. The data collected within the research come from ethnographic fieldwork, which consists of basic methods such as site visits and interviews. The research also includes the concept of Service design thinking and tools, which can help to analyze the data into different sets of relationship between service users, service providers, and environment. Groups of product design students, local craftsmen, local business clusters, professional designers, and artists are co – creating new craft products. The results express throughout the process which emphasize on presenting the ability of local craftsmen beyond what they are expected; exchanging knowledge; creating a more comfortable collaboration between the stakeholders; and strengthen the local craft community for more future sustainable developments.