Design + Craft

Image from: http://deputy-dog.com

The reading "The Revival of Handicraft" by William Morris defines handicraft as "all products of labour which have any claims to be considered beautiful", which incinuates that any and all handmade products/arts are of a certain aesthetic appeal. It also states that handicraft is often considered to be of greater value. In consideration to today's society, I think that this statement is of significant relevance, particularly in relation to activites such as urban knitting or graffiti knitting. Graffiti knitting involves incorporating the skills needed for the craft of knitting and installs these within urban environments; whilst this is not a traditional use for the craft it does revive our opinions about how we use both a combination of design and craft.

As we have become more aware of our environment, I find it interesting that we are using it in conjunction with our craft and arts. I find graffiti knitting to be a good example of contemporary expression as it shows how our values about the world and society are changing just as William Morris predicted. In the images above we see the knitting intertwining the brances of trees, lamp post, chains and handrails giving these everyday objects an element of surprise and adding value. Handicraft is considered to be beautiful so it is no surprise that we want to make our environment beautiful by incorporating the graffiti knitting into it therefore indicating how we value both the environment and craft more. I think that our use of craft as an art form, such as that in graffiti knitting, represents the rivival of the value and significance of craft in a contemporary society, particularly as place emphasis on aestheics and quality.