Reflection Blog 05
The fifth session of “Design and the Human Condition” was conducted by a guest lecturer Arnab Chakravarthy. Today’s session revolved around the perceptions regarding the relation between concept and craft. It initiated as an overview of the perceived supremacy of concept over craft and later branched into further details; that helped me comprehend and analyze the difference between the artisans and the craftsmen; as well as reflect upon the roles of the designers, artists, artisans, and the craftsmen in relation to each other.
As we discussed in our first lecture, our body helps us interact with our surroundings; more specifically we perceive everything around us through our hands. Whatever we have in our surroundings has somewhere started with the use of hands. Historically, craftsmanship has been an important part of the sub-continental culture. However, making connections to our previous sessions, I wonder that the advancement in technology has also been affecting craftsmanship all over the world. This could also be a reason for the supremacy of concept over craft.
With the help of this lecture, I believe that both the artisans and the craftsmen are the followers of ‘intelligence of hand’ as they both work using their hands in an artistic capacity but the only thing that discriminates among them is the artisan’s major focus towards the aesthetically unique projects whereas a craftsmen masters the skill of production of functional and mass-produced objects.
Another important point of discussion during the session was the comparison of the conceptual creation of the designers and the skillful execution of the artisans/craftsmen. A designer envisions an idea and the craftsman executes it into a physical form. So, who deserves the ownership of the work? Why and how is it accurate for only the designer to own the work as his/her envisioned creativity; and what about the labor who gave it the form? Is the labor equally deserving the ownership? This makes me think about the historic art and design movements such as “Dadaism”. The fountain’ (a urinal) by Marcel Duchamp or ‘Cadeau’ by Man Ray are such examples. The designers/artists identified them as pieces of art; therefore, they are still considered to be their artworks. However, the labor who created them is never taken into consideration. And even Andy-Warhol’s soup cans from the “Pop-Art Movement” are never claimed on account of the craftsmen. Therefore, artistic vision and skill were two sides of the same coin traditionally. However, with the rise of post-modern art, conception has been the emphasis as opposed to the execution. Certain other examples from our lives include the fashion or textile brands whose labor execute the pieces but only the designers are appreciated and acknowledged with the ownership whereas the labor is just restricted to be worthy of the wages earned from it.
While researching, I came across a very relevant example of “The Bagh” displayed at Al-Hamra Art Gallery in Lahore in 2019. The event was a collaboration between the artists/ designers and the artisans. The display featured the embroidery skills of the artisans with the abstract interpretation of the artists/designers; that recontextualized the traditional work with a contemporary vision. The installations did not display the name of the artists/designers, however, the display made it clear that the works were the ‘subjects’ to someone else’s artistic vision rather than the makers of the works themselves. One of the designers even discussed her struggle in making the pieces ‘art-worthy’ as it was difficult to make the artisans understand few conceptual things. This identifies the conundrum of not just post-modern art, but also the role of human conditioning to decipher the relationship between class and art. How can real-life divisions and hierarchies not be part of the equation, especially when rural, uneducated women are executing the artistic vision of urban, educated artists?
This exhibition was well-intentioned and provided a unique perspective on art-and-craft. However in viewing the exquisite artworks, one could not help ponder over the relationship between vulnerable labor and art or design.
As we discussed in earlier sessions regarding the mind and body working together to execute an idea; I believe the same for the conceptual vision and craft. For me, both the concept and the craft go hand in hand. An idea without execution or a craft without a properly envisioned idea is as useless as a mind without a body or vice versa.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/586126-art-craft-and-ownership
