Having been brought up in an environment in which crafting skills were passed down through generations, I am passionate about arts, crafts and the important role they can play in society. My project looks at ways for friends, families and communities to work collectively to produce work that reflects their experiences, places they live, and helps develop a real sense of identity, in turn exploring how crafting can be used in contemporary society to maintain traditional practices and values.
My aim is to encourage encounters between makers, local people, and different generations. These encounters can lead to extremely rich experiences and help people develop expertise, understanding, communication skills, confidence and awareness to create stronger families and communities.
Throughout the research phase of this project my ideas have continuously evolved and I have been inspired by the people I have met, places I have been and the exhibitions I have visited. I have developed relationships with members of staff at Craft Central and the Craft Council Research Centre, and designer makers from studios and incubators across the South East. Their feedback has led to the evolution of my question and iterations of my artefacts, these artefacts have then been tested in non-craft environments to help develop my theories further.
Amongst other things, I have investigated ideas relating to online crafting networks, arts-based community engagement programmes, craft kits, combinations of modern materials and traditional techniques, and craft and the slow movement. I have also filmed ethnographic studies with people working in these fields to understand why they do what they do.
Since the beginning of the course I have been maintaining a blog to record my 'MADS Journey'. The entries vary from research findings and observations, project work and feedback, to the people, places and moments that have inspired me.
This exhibition looks to illustrate those key moments of inspiration, the times where I felt like the words were jumping off the page.
No comments:
Post a Comment