Craftmanship

Reading time : 4 Minutes

Pick up the nearest object (within reason!) Twirl it around in your hands and have a look at each of its different components. Now, consider the number of different materials and various skillsets that have gone into creating it. If you deem that it has all been made by a machine on an assembly line, try to momentarily remove that machine from the equation. Is there any stitching, pressing or seaming? Is there any welding or joinery? Is it synthetic, polyester, an alloy?

In our time of mass production and global supply lines, the remarkableness of all of this may pass us by. Thinking back just 200 years ago – a relatively short time in the overall timeline of human history – certain products would have been unheard of, particularly being available so quickly and cheaply. We are now surrounded by skills and crafts which have developed throughout human history, and our ability to manipulate materials for our purposes has never been as proficient as it is now.

But alas, such convenience carries a price, and herein perhaps lies the fatal cause of loss of craftmanship. In order to maintain innovation and continue to develop skills which are expanded upon, a society must value the place of those skills in the first place. Japanese products are known for being well-crafted because during the Edo-period there was 200 years of national peace, giving artisans the space and means to work. As a result, Japanese society has always valued intricate items such as fans, uchiwa, and fine wooden combs, tsugegushi.

Some feel that such craftmanship is lost in a world of mass-production. Many will point to the example of new-build homes. Yes, they can be built quickly with strong materials, but does the same level of craftmanship and care exist? Some argue not.

 Endeavouring to development of our crafts has always been an essential element of How2behuman. Let us not say, gone are the days of craftmanship.