Craft
CRAFT
APOUSIOKOUMPOUNOPHOBIA
By Dora Mentzel
The story of an obsolete bit of tailoring, the buttonhole on the lapel of a men's jacket. Why have a buttonhole with no function? Read more
ART AND WORKMANSHIP
By W.R. Lethaby
This article from 1913 is about craft and beauty and the ordinary. 'Art is the humanity put into workmanship, the rest is slavery.' Read more
ROBINSON CRUSOE
By Tanya Harrod
In this short essay Tanya Harrod examines how tools and everyday objects become the focus of Crusoe's life and of the novel. Read more
KNOLLING
By Edwin Heathcote
‘Knolling’ is the act of laying out tools in an obsessive but rather beautiful display. It sits between function and aesthetics. Read more
FREE TRADE AND PROTECTION -
from THE INDIAN CRAFTSMAN
By Ananda Coomaraswamy
What, exactly, is the freedom in free trade for? According to Indian writer Ananda Coomaraswamy, it led to the freedom to make things badly. Read more
VISVAKARMA -
from THE INDIAN CRAFTSMAN
By Ananda Coomaraswamy
"The craftsman is [...] a part of the universe, giving expression to ideals of eternal beauty and unchanging laws." Read more
THE MEANING OF CRAFT
By R. G. Collingwood
In this work published in 1938, Collingwood lays out the six defining characteristics of craft, including the distinctions between means and end. Read more
THE BEAUTY OF EVERYDAY THINGS
By Soetsu Yanagi
Founder of the mingei or ‘folk craft’ movement, Yanagi begins to explain his interest in folk craft with a contemplation on a simple bowl. Read more