The Language of Process

'The Language of Process: how new materials and technologies are changing product design' is the current exhibition in the Special Collections section of the All Saints Library of Manchester Metropolitan University. The exhibition ends on December 20th.

 

I was asked to speak at the opening -

I am a maker; I could call myself a designer, a craftsman or an artist, but I prefer the term Maker, as in Creator; someone who straddles the grey area between those disciplines.

So that’s the perspective from which I view the ‘Language of Process’ exhibition.

To those of you who have been along to the exhibition, it may appear to be a strange selection of odd items. Some objects on display are practical and functional, others whimsical. Many are aesthetically pleasing, yet one or two might be described as ugly. So why have they been brought together?

I feel strongly that this exhibition provides extremely timely evidence of the emergence of a new language of making, where the traditional barriers between craft and design are dissolving.

A lot of the objects on show have been created using new and emerging digital technology. Employing these new machines is not a case of simply pressing the button, as many people seem to think. They are expensive and sophisticated, but they are just tools, with all the same idiosyncrasies as traditional tools. And that is part of the attraction for me and the new generation of makers who are leading the way by making these machines do what we want them to.

As all makers know, we have to explore materials and processes in order to develop the skills and sensibilities necessary to turn an idea into a resolved 3-dimensional object.  And we don’t stop exploring; the journey never ends. As a potter I was never totally satisfied with what came out of the kiln; we search for a perfection that we will never achieve. That’s what gets us up in the morning. And it’s this striving, this insatiable curiosity that attracts us to explore new ways of making.

But why is this important? For me, craft and design aren’t just about the creation of beautiful bespoke objects, The most inclusive definition of these activities and one that I subscribe to is ‘the application of creative thinking and tacit knowledge to solve a problem’. Which means that we engage with them from morning ‘til night; we rely on those skills from birth to death, the midwife and the gravedigger employ them; they are fundamental to our very existence and we all have the potential to exercise them. One example of this is my dentist. He was telling me of the part that craft knowledge plays in his work. He regards it as a fundamental and central part of his skill, something that was kindled not at Dental School but as a teenager in the Art Department.

So, it’s fundamental that students at all stages are allowed to get to grips with materials and processes and not just sit in front of the computer screen.

Take another, closer look at this exhibition. You’ll see designers really getting down and dirty with messy materials, and craftspeople hacking technology. The rulebook is being thrown away and it points to a healthy future of innovation and creative thinking.

Manchester School of Art is very fortunate in having traditional workshops and increasing digital making and research facilities. They go hand in hand, the new tools do not replace the old.  And they are both vital if our students are going to play their part in the UK’s economic revival. The doors of the workshops must be open to all and I would hang a big sign in each of them, simply saying ‘What if…’

MMU could be an important cradle of the next Industrial Revolution as long as the teaching and provision of resources not only embrace the present cutting edge, as seen in this exhibition, but also helps to shape the future direction of craft and design.

I don’t see this activity centered solely on the Art School. The projects that I’m involved in MIRIAD are in conjunction with material scientists, Learning Innovation and Engineering, including a project to formulate 3D printable Graphene. There’s a lot of common ground to be shared between the disciplines, but we can also challenge and stretch each other and that’s where the advances happen.

I hope I’m preaching to the converted, so if you have any influence on decision makers at any level please bring them along to the ‘Language of Process’. Show them the beauty, the skill, the innovation and the creative thinking. This must be one of the most tangible ways to demonstrate that Innovative Making has an exciting and rightful future in the cultural heart of this University.

Long Live the Revolution!

I was recently asked to take part in a panel discussion during the Design Manchester 13 Festival at Manchester School of Art -

Here we are at the beginning of an exciting new Industrial Revolution and there is an opportunity not only to make things that were previously impossible, but also to right some of the wrongs of the previous Revolution.

Before the First Industrial Revolution, the way things were made was essentially by craft production; the local potter would make earthenware for the kitchen and dairy; the blacksmith would make and repair tools for the garden and the farm.

Architecture was essentially vernacular, as materials were obtained locally and buildings were shaped by the limitations of stone, slate and wood.

Regional styles developed in response to local needs and were refined over time, producing architecture and artefacts that we now value for their simplicity, their truth to materials and their ecological impact.

I’m not trying to paint a rose-tinted picture of life before 1760; it was grim up north for the majority of the population. The Industrial Revolution improved standards for a section of society, however, I think we would all agree that life since then wasn’t and still isn’t a bed of roses for everyone.

And we are now facing the ecological backlash of 250 years of progress.
This time around, things might be different.

My particular interest is the creation of art craft and design using new and emerging digital technology. It allows me to make objects impossible to produce when I was a production potter. 3-D printing has enabled me to unleash my imagination and create artworks that challenge the definitions of art, craft and design.

But 3-D printing isn’t just about making beautiful, bespoke objects. It holds far more potential.

With 3D printing, ideas can be transformed into objects without the need to produce costly moulds and tooling. The only way manufacturers can justify that sort of expense is by manufacturing in large volumes. In our revolution, batch production and the one-off are ways forward, whether it’s a personalized light fitting or a replacement knee. Customisation and individualisation are not only possible but to be encouraged as an enhanced sense of ownership must mean that the product is likely to be cherished more than an off-the-shelf, generic version.

And the Internet allows for distributed manufacture. So, we don’t need shiploads of identical products crossing the oceans. Instead, you could cycle down to your 21st century version of the local blacksmith (perhaps now renamed as a Codesmith) to collect your freshly printed stuff. Or, make it at home on your own printer.

Another advantage over traditional reductive processes is that there is far less waste in Additive Manufacturing, as leftover material is re-used.

And this time the technology isn’t in the hands of an elite minority. Tinkers and hackers are busy stripping down, re-jigging the technology, and making it accessible to a wider community of makers.

This all sounds rosy, doesn’t it? If I was little less positive and little more sceptical I might be describing the risks to our revolution, from vested interests through to nasty and dangerous applications.

This revolution is still at a very early stage, but if it is going to make a positive difference we need to encourage widespread innovation.

We need a 21st century version of the Lunar Society, meeting by the full moon not only to discuss the technology, but the social implications as well.

Perhaps they could write a manifesto? It could go something like this:

1. Cloud computing will put tools into the hands of the proletariat.
2. 3D printing will democratize design; everyone will be a designer.
3. All data will be open source.
4. Hacking of technology will be encouraged.


I’m sure you could all think of a few more.

Where do I go from here?

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April and May have been busy, a pretty hectic combination of work and play. 

It started with a trip to Oslo National Academy of the Arts, where I was invited to give a lecture about my practice. It was also an opportunity to meet the staff in both the Ceramics department and in the 3D printing facility. The facilities are extremely impressive, all housed in a beautiful 19th century sail factory complex.

I am planning to return for a longer period in order to experiment with their ZCorp 310 that they have just started to use with ceramic powders. The plan is to create a network of 3D printer practitioners exploring the theme of ceramics, culminating in an event in the autumn of 2014.

A few days after my return to the UK, I set off for a holiday in France with my wife Vicky, our friend Jan and my bike. The trip by train to Montelimar was excellent, though carrying my road bike in a bag wasn't that easy. Whilst there I cycled from the Drôme, through the Gorge de L'Ardeche, down into Languedoc to see friends, then up through the Cevennes to be reunited with Vicky and Jan in Ispagnac, a beautiful village at the entrance to the Gorge du Tarn.

I had to cut the holiday short in order to return to London for Collect, held again at the Saatchi Gallery, where I was showing some new pieces with Adrian Sassoon. The show was definitely up to it's usual standard, and I was lucky to have the Prtlnd Vase purchased by the Art Fund for the New Walk Gallery in Leicester. The curators plan to open a digital gallery and had researched my work and in particular the Prtlnd Vase for their presentation to the Art Fund.

Whilst at Collect, I took part in the first ‘Fielding Talk: Lives in Craft, launched in memory of Amanda Fielding, the writer and curator who died in 2012. This event, …celebrates Fielding’s passion and knowledge for the sector through the voices and experiences of the most exciting and innovative makers in contemporary craft.’ Glenn Adamson from the V&A chaired it with Clare Twomey and myself in discussion around the theme of the relationship between makers and curators. The acquisition and positioning of ‘digital craft’ has been problematic for curators as there was uncertainty as to the placing of the work. Fortunately for my contemporaries and I, there now appears to be a confidence and keen interest in our work, though the interpretation of challenging pieces can still be problematic for the curators.

Back in Manchester, I have been continuing to explore the Mcor Matrix 300 printer that 'prints' in layers of paper. It has been a temperamental machine, but a technician’s recent visit appears to have made it operate more smoothly. I set it off this morning to print the first of 4 pieces to be used as moulds for the making of ceramic sprigs for a version of the Prtlnd Vase. The body of the vase was printed in 4 sections by Mcor, as our machine failed to build them. I plan to have a mould produced and if talks with Wedgwood succeed, I will slipcast it in traditional Jasperware.

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And this leads to the question I pose in the title of this piece, “Where do I go from here?’ The reason I ask this question is that I am going through a period of reflection about my work. Over the past 7 years I have produced a body of work that has investigated 3D printing through the interpretation and re-design of familiar objects such as Wedgwood and Sèvres ceramics, appropriating their cultural significance to make comments about craft, values and the virtual world that we increasingly inhabit.

As I have always said, I don’t want to use the technology for its own sake, there has to be an idea that underpins its use. I am now at the stage where I feel I need to go further, in terms of material and process. The aim has been and still is to produce ceramic 3D printed artworks, combining my previous experience and knowledge of ceramics history with ‘post-industrial’ manufacturing. But this is where Glenn Adamson steps in.

-->In his new book, ‘The Invention of Craft’ he states that “…new forms of practice will inevitably be forged through the synthesis of the analogue and the digital…”[1]

The Mcor Matrix printer alerted me to the journey the data travels between the computer software and the printed artwork. The only difference between the data used to produce the paper prints of the Prtlnd vase and the SLS version, is scale. However, unlike the SLS original the faceted sides look as though they have been made from folded paper. Something has happened in the process that gives the object a softer, ‘crafted’ look. So this version will not only refer to the relationship between actual and the virtual from the standpoint of our increasing engagement of the real world through a screen, but also record the material process.

The other thought-provoking piece of writing comes from Justin McGuirk in the Collect 2013 catalogue. He is talking about craft ‘fetishism’ and the difference between being seduced by electronic gizmos and crafted objects. “The philosopher Bruno Latour might argue that we are once again seduced by the ‘thingness’ of things. In his essay ‘Why has critique run out of steam’ he extrapolates Martin Heidegger’s distinction between objects and things. He writes ‘The hand-made jug can be a thing, while the industrially made can of Coke remains an object. While the latter is abandoned to the empty mastery of science and technology, only the former, cradled in the respected idiom of art, craftsmanship and poetry, could deploy its rich set of connotations.’ So we have a distinction here between the mute machine-made object and the poetic hand-made thing. Does this distinction help us?”[2]

And where does it place my work?

Do I fall between the 2 stools? And is this why I feel I need to bring a physical, tactile connection back into my work?

I shouldn’t care what the Adamsons and McGuirks think, as I am a maker not a critical historian, writer or philosopher, but even before my days at the RCA I have attempted to justify my output. It’s part of my methodology and one that sometimes weighs heavy.

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[1] Glenn Adamson, The Invention of Craft (London: Bloomsbury, 2013) p.166

[2] Justin McGuirk, Fashion, Fetish and Craft, (Crafts Council 2013) pp.19, 20

Essays, dissertations, theses etc. etc...

One of my friends from the RCA is now working at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland and asked me for a .pdf version of my RCA thesis for their library. When I have finished converting it to .pdf, I’ll also send it to the RCA library where it will be available to students.

And yesterday, I received an email from a student at the Sotheby’s Institute who asked a number of incisive questions about my practice. From time to time students have asked to use my work in their essays and dissertations, so I thought it might be useful to reproduce the questions and my replies.

You mentioned in your blog that a new Arts and Craft movement may be necessary and that technology does not warrant good design and that a material led process is still essential. What do you think is the appropriate way to combine traditional craft with high technology in this age?

In Britain, at the present time there is a lack of joined up thinking by our political leaders. The Chancellor, George Osborne stood up at the dispatch box in the House of Commons to say that Britain's economic recovery will happen through the hands of makers, in other words there is a need to apply our creativity to manufacturing innovative products in the UK. Last week the Culture Minister, Ed Vaizey was on Radio 4 championing British 'world leading creativity'. However, down the road in the Ministry of Education, Michael Gove was set to remove the Creative subjects from the curriculum through the introduction of the English baccalaureate. Though the proposal has been dropped, there is still a threat to the rating of schools through the use of EBacc criteria where the creative subjects are not taken into consideration. Where does he expect the next generations of creative thinkers to come from? 

Hopefully, you will be able to see where my tirade is heading. There is a real need to recognize the place of making at all stages of the education system. It must go hand in hand with the use of technology, in fact there is a need to be far more creative with technology, so that coding should also taught in schools. 

My generation spans the digital divide, I grew up before computers and spent a lot of time making and building stuff, it was what we did. So computers are something that I have seen as 'other' whereas generations growing up with computers and digital technology don't have the same potential hang-ups. The way forward is not to differentiate between digital and non-digital tools. They can be used singly, separately and in harmony. It's all about choosing the right tool for the job. But in order to make the correct choice the maker has to have experience of both sets of tools.

The definition of the word 'craft' has evolved over the years. The Arts and Crafts movement had a particular definition, relating to the inhumanity of the Industrial Revolution. It may have been the blinkered view of a privileged class, but it was very influential, encouraging generations of makers to head off to the countryside to grow vegetables and make heavy brown pots! Urban makers reacted against this in the 1970's and craft to a large degree became a dirty word, especially as conceptual ideas seemed to be the only thing that counted in the Art world.

I think that the definition of craft is changing again, with academics such as Malcolm McCullough, Richard Sennett, Glenn Adamson and Christopher Frayling helping to re-define the word. And the boundaries between the disciplines are becoming blurred, personally I define myself as maker, someone happy to inhabit and explore the grey area between art, craft, design and technology. 

To quote Alex Coles, “…Eden’s work is persuasive evidence of how one of the most convincing ways to extend craft today in order to integrate it more closely with art and design is precisely by using cutting-edge technology to trigger a process of conceptual and formal investigation. By aiding experimentation in this way, technology is utilized as a means to an end rather than simply being an end in itself.”[i]

Could you expand on why and how you incorporate the virtual experiences? The QR code is a great example of this. Does this reflect that decorative objects will need to serve additional functions, to entertain its audience, to remain relevant? 

A beautifully crafted teapot does not require an additional contrived virtual dimension to complete the users experience of brewing tea in it or appreciating it, sat on a shelf in the kitchen. The owner of such an object develops a relationship to it through use, through sharing a cup of tea with friends. Its physicality is enhanced by those sensory and emotional experiences, it needs nothing more.

However, as information becomes increasingly available through data it is now possible to not only realize information as objects but to interact with them in new ways. Both the Mnemosyne and the Babel vessel have been acquired by museums (Carnegie Art Museum, Pittsburgh and Aberdeen Art Gallery respectively). I plan to work with their web designers to allow the viewer/user to interact with them in meaningful ways, creating links to other objects in the museum and allowing new stories to be told. I see them. 

I don't think these pieces are superior to non-interactive pieces, they simply offer another type of experience.

What motivates and inspires you? 

You have included cultural and historical references, as seen in the Wedgewood Tureen, what is their significance in your works?

I hang a story on culturally significant objects as a way of commenting on making, encouraging a debate around craft and to tell a multi-layered story. But they are also chosen to seduce the viewer by their familiarity. I want the viewer to engage, to be surprised, to have their perceptions challenged.

To whom are you designing for? What type of home do you see your pieces in?

Primarily for me, it's self-indulgence. But I hope that this approach will connect the objects to an audience. I hope that I make artworks with integrity and passion and that the viewer recognises the energy and effort that goes into them.

What are your findings in working with a synthetic material? Do you miss the tactile nature and the warmth of clay?

My eventual aim is to 3D print clay. I have collaborated with others to produce a few 3D printed ceramic pieces, some of which I have successfully fired using the same lead glazes that we used on our slipware. The aim is to bring together the almost pre-industrial craft skills and materials that I previously used with post-industrial manufacturing, thereby creating a new ceramic language. Meanwhile, it is important for me to explore and fully exploit the technology and materials available to me. Nylon is not clay, never will be, but I can hopefully still use those materials to make meaningful objects. And they are a challenge to experiment with, so i have been copper plating and exploring silver plating amongst other trials.

Babel Vessel I:

I have read that the Chinese 'hu' vessel was an inspiration to you. Can you expand on your choice of this form and culture?

Unicorns adorn the side of the vessel, what do they symbolize?

On a visit to the British Museum I noticed the surface decoration of a 6^th century BCE Chinese ceremonial wine vessel, known as a hu, as it reminded me of the QR barcodes.

When translated, the Chinese symbols tell of battles won or of heroic deeds by emperors. Like the QR code, I wasn’t able to read them without a translator (or an App). So the viewer can scan the Babel Vessel with their Smart phone, which then connects to a video on my website telling the story, providing additional information thereby creating a simultaneous actual and virtual experience.

The lion and the unicorn handles replace the traditional Chinese serpents and make a cryptic reference to the uncomfortable relationship that has existed between Britain and China at various times in our histories. They also (positively) refer to the Royal College of Art (taken from the Royal Standard logo of the RCA), without which I wouldn't have been able to make these things.

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[i] Coles, Alex. ‘Michael Eden, The Practitioner, Artist, Designer.’ SOFA 2011 catalogue essay.

Alex Coles is the author of DesignArt (Tate Publishing, 2005), co-author of Project VITRA (Birkhauser, 2008), and the editor of Design and Art (MIT/Whitechapel). He also writes regularly for the Financial Times and The Art Newspaper. 

Post Craft? Post Digital?

I took part in the excellent FutureEverything Festival in Manchester this weekend. I was invited to take part in a discussion titled 'Post Craft'.
Now I know what you're thinking, because that's exactly what I thought - what's that supposed to mean?
This is how the Festival described the notion:

"Post Craft
In an increasingly post-digital world, there is a move towards a pre-industrial landscape. Eased by global connectivity, cottage industries are sprouting up everywhere. People are creating their own products, services, and art. They are rediscovering the satisfaction of creating a tangible product, the process of making, the lessons from making by hand.
This session brings together four people working at the edge of craft — a leading practitioner in modern ceramics, a design researcher, an interaction designer and a curator — to look at what craft can learn from digital behaviours, and the lessons it has to offer.
Session presented by Andy Huntington, James Boardwell, Michael Eden and Sally Fort"

And there's the other phrase -'post-digital'. Sat here at the keyboard of my Mac, I didn't know that we live in a post-digital age, did you?

I can understand that people need more than screens and mice in their lives and there's an inbuilt desire to express our creativity through whittling sticks, gardening, even walking on the hills, but to call this era 'post-digital' is so far from the truth. We've hardly got started; in my particular field of Additive Manufacturing we have hardly scratched the surface. To paraphrase Geoff Hollington 'If this was the First Industrial Revolution, we are now in the year 1800'.
There is so much potential for this technology, it is going to change the way we think about many of the designed objects that surround us. It allows for individualisation, customisation, distributed manufacture, repair of broken equipment. The list goes on...
However, when I hear of the 3D printing of human organs I am both excited and concerned. Yes, it could help to solve the shortage of organ donors, but surely it's not such a huge step to then change the DNA of 'living' printed structures? After all the human genome is likely to be Open Source if it isn't already.
Or is this science fiction?

Anyway, back to 'Post Craft'.
Sally Fort, the chair of the panel, asked for our understanding of what the term means. There was some scratching of heads, but we all basically agreed that it doesn't exist.
Craft is Craft is Craft, regardless of the tools or technology the maker chooses to use. It's the idea that should be at the forefront of the maker's mind, not the tool. In my experience as a potter, the tools 'vanish' when I'm throwing a pot on the wheel. I'm trying to capture the energy of an action, the tension in a line. And it's those qualities that I try to achieve through the mouse in my recent work.
So for me, it's all about whittling voxels.
Having said that. I choose to use new technology because it allows me to create 'impossible' objects, ones that I can't make on the wheel or with other conventional methods.
But both the starting and end point is the story that I'm exploring and attempting to communicate.


If you would like to read more about the discussion follow this link to the mini-site that Sally published.

And if you haven't been to Manchester, I would highly recommend the place. OK it's wet, but it's a great 21st century European city that looks forward whilst embracing it's past. It has a really creative buzz, but without so many of the posers that you find in postcodes beginning with EC.

yet more actual and virtual.....

These last few months have been both exciting and frustrating in equal measure. I have been continuing my investigations of the actual/virtual theme in my work with the design of a new piece, or pair of pieces called Amalthea. They are complex cornucopia like pieces, one filigree, its companion a solid version with raised surface decoration.

To begin with, I generated a type of QR code known as a ‘blotcode’ which links to a page on my website when scanned by a barcode reader, available as an App for some smart phones. I then extruded the 2-dimensional image into a 3-dimensional form using Rhino 3D software. The cornucopia shape of Amalthea refers to the wealth of knowledge available on the World Wide Web whilst the cryptic symbols within the filigree refer to the consequences this may have on society.
Objects often have stories attached to them. They can commemorate an event; they are often transformed into family heirlooms and passed on with the stories associated with them. Amalthea also tell stories, but these stories are online, so have the potential to include text, video, image and music. They can be added to over time, creating a repository of memories and information.
So when the viewer scans Amalthea with a barcode reader mobile phone App, it connects to a page on my website telling the story, providing additional information thereby creating a simultaneous actual and virtual experience.
I plan to offer a series of similar pieces where the QR code is generated for a client linking the piece to information specific to that person. So, as heirlooms, the virtual experience could tell the story of the journey of that object through the generations.

In the making of Amalthea I have become increasingly aware of the complexities of Additive Manufacturing and selective laser sintering (SLS) in particular. The machines are complex, with a myriad of controls that the operator/technician must become as attuned to as any craftsman does to their tools. It's certainly not a case of 'pressing a button' as some people think. And though I am not the highly skilled person operating the machine I need to have both a reasonable understanding of the technology and a good working relationship with the operator.

When my work was produced in France, it was made on a ZCorp 3D printing machine. This is far simpler than the SLS technology as it employs a liquid binder rather than a laser to build the layers. And it's one of these machines that we are going to use in an attempt to print objects in clay. This is the dream that I have had since I first heard of Rapid Prototyping quite a few years ago. Our project at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London will build on the excelent work of Mark Ganter and his team at the Solheim Laboratory at the University of Washington in Seattle. We are also grateful to Ronald Rael and the ceramics laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley for providing us with a detailed technical report of his team's thorough testing of ceramic materials.
The Open Source philosophy of this research is fundamental; thanks to the generosity of Mark Ganter there is a growing community of like-minded groups all ploughing the same furrow. By bouncing ideas of each other the momentum is increased and reliable materials will be available for the many, rather than the few.

Though printing the Amalthea in clay is probably a little way off, I am very excited by the prospect of being able to bring both my experience and knowledge of ceramics together with the emerging technology of the 2!st century.

The Midwife and the Gravedigger

Having spent a few more days thinking about the Craft Matters campaign the more strongly I feel that the Crafts Council should encourage a more inclusive definition of craft and its place in society.
As I said before, Craft is not just concerned with exquisite, hand made, bespoke objects. Though there is a need and place for work of that type in society, if craft is to matter when it comes to its recognition, promotion and support by governments, the public needs to know how craft affects them in almost every area of life.
As Glenn Adamson says, "Craft only exists in motion. It is a way of doing things, not a classification of objects, institutions or people"*
As such, both the midwife and the person that buries you are craft experts, they have developed the tacit knowledge and skills necessary to safely bring you into this world and to leave it with dignity. At every stage in between craft shapes our lives, it is what differentiates us from the other species on this planet. Craft has even helped to shape our bodies, both in an evolutionary sense and in the way our bodies are affected by physical activity.
In getting this message across a recent Radio 4, Point of View programme could be very helpful. It was the last of a series by Professor Lisa Jardine who used the example of crystallographer, Dorothy Hodgkin to demonstrate how science and the arts can both benefit through collaboration. Lisa jardine referred to a letter to the Observer signed by many eminent thinkers who are concerned that future government spending cuts will sacrifice the arts in favour of the sciences, a policy that appears extremely short-sighted.


Adamson, G. Thinking through Craft. Berg 2007, p4.

Does Craft Matter?

I went along to the Crafts Council launch of 'Craft Matters' at the House of Lords on Tuesday and an interesting tea party it was.
The campaign aims to raise the profile of craft in the mind of the public, in education and in business. The speeches focused on the making and acquisition of exquisite hand crafted objects and each of the speakers described why craft matters to them. You can say why craft matters to you here.
My contribution applies a much wider definition to the notion of craft, the short version being that 'Craft matters because it is the fundamental building block of the creative industries'. I used that term because of its association with DNA and the fact that craft skills are needed in many areas of science as much as they are in the arts and crafts.
The longer version is:
'Craft matters because it is not only the fundamental building block of the creative industries, but is a process that brings together the hand, the head and the heart in order to engage with, explore and interpret the world around us.'
The longer I am involved in creating work using advanced technology the more strongly I feel that successful pieces rely on a combination of my pottery craft skills, the development of new skills plus a developed sensibility to the 3 dimensional form. Together, a new world of creative possibilities has opened for me, neither superior nor inferior to my previous practice.
As an inveterate maker, concerned with the the use of materials and processes for expressive purposes, I am now more fully engaged with the notion of craft than I have been for some time and it matters.

So, does craft matter to you?

Jonathan Ive on Rapid Prototyping - the root of all evil?

In a recent Design Week magazine (30 April) Jonathan Ive of Apple asserts that RP is distancing designers from the physical process of design and creating 'a lot of lousy design'.
And in the following edition of the magazine numerous commentators are asked for their reaction. Most just echo Ive's sentiments
I agree with Matthew Lewis (Metropolitan Works) that knowledge of materials and processes is fundamental to successful design (and to any creative process), but it is wrong of Jonathan Ive to blame the tools. RP and now RM (additive layer manufacturing (ALM) or whatever you want to call it) open up enormous creative possibilities, and should be seen as a way of connecting the designer with the consumer in the same way as in pre-Industrial Revolution craft based societies.
As ALM frees the designer from tooling and mould making, there is the potential and the reality of every product being tailored for a specific requirement in the same way that a potter would have served the needs of the farmer or cook. In theory this should fully engage the designer with the complete creative process and the need to understand the capabilities of materials are capable of.
As applied artists/designers/creatives we have new tools in our toolbox. ALM/RP doesn't replace the other tools, it complements them and should be used appropriately.
Jonathan Ive should really be addressing the Colleges and Universities who are closing their 3D workshops and sitting students in front of computers as the cheaper option. It is central to the success of design innovation that knowledge of materials and processes is a fundamental part in the education of the next generation of creatives.

The iPotter

We have the technology...
I have evolved from making ceramics with almost pre-Industrial Revolution materials and technology to manufacturing them using technology from the next Industrial Revolution. In doing so my practice has virtually leapt 250 years.

...and the materials
The majority of my friends from the Studio Pottery world are baffled. My work no longer shares one of the prime motivations of handmade ceramics- the expression of material qualities and processes.
The process I now use prevents me from capturing a moment in time in the same way as I could with liquid coloured slips, but my approach to the design and digital manufacture of pieces like The Wedgwoodn't Tureen doesn't divorce me from the need to engage with material qualities.
So if I loose something that was an important ingredient, what do I gain? Freedom.
I am liberated from some of the restrictions of material properties; I don't have to think about the centrifugal forces that impose their effects on the form of a thrown pot; gravity has no influence.
Most importantly I am freed from the 'baggage' associated with Studio Pottery, whose genesis was the Arts and Craft Movement and its rejection of the dehumanising effects of industrial production and the division of labour.
In fact, the process I employ now has the potential to turn the circle back to the pre-Industrial Revolution days of direct contact between the maker and the customer. 3D printing or Additive Manufacturing (AM) or whatever you wish to call it, is not restricted by the need for moulds or tooling. A design can be customised for customer before it is manufactured.

A blacksmith gains the skills required to choose the right metal for the job through direct experience (tacit knowledge). Materials need to be appropriate to the task asked of them and as AM is primarily a material based technology, with new materials and variations coming onto the market on a regular basis, then those engaged with them surely require the same skills as the blacksmith.

As part of my RCA project I used The Wedgwoodn't Tureen to test the capabilities of the software, hardware and materials of AM and particularly the materials and processes developed by Axiatec. Now that I have acquired a basic understanding, I can go on to exploit the freedom that they give me. Through the design and production of new work I continue my testing and expand my tacit knowledge in the process.
Having divorced myself from the Studio Pottery movement, the approach to my work is bound to be framed by 25 years of making pots, but my new work has been able to take on a more conceptual direction, engaging with ideas that I hope the viewer will find thought-provoking.

(to be continued.....)

05.05.09 - What's new?

Well, it's been some time since I recorded my news and thoughts. In some ways a lot has happened since I finished at the RCA, and in some ways not enough.
My work has been shown by Adrian Sassoon at various Art and Design Fairs in the UK, USA and Belgium. They were shown recently at SOFA in New York and will be at COLLECT in London in 2 weeks time. I'll have some new work on show.
It's also just about to go on display in 'Object Factory' at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York
I have divided my time between designing new work, trying to complete an AHRC Knowledge Catalyst application to undertake another 12 months applied research at the RCA and collaborating with Axiatec and the University of Washington on material tests.













Here is an image of my test cube designed, printed on the ZCorp 450 in France. It has been treated to make it heat resistant, then I have dipped it in vitreous slip, fired it to 1000C, then glazed and fired it to 1085C with one of our lovely lead glazes.














This test piece is based on my 'Event Horizon' torus piece. Again, it was printed on a ZCorp machine, but in clay, not in the usual 131 powder. It was then biscuit fired to 1000C and treated in the same way as the test cube above.
This morning I sent 2 of the torus test pieces to the Esther Klein Gallery at the Science Center in Philadelphia, USA for an exhibition called 'The FAB Show'. The exhibition will explore Creative and DIY methods of accessing and utilising 3D printing technology. We are working with Evan Malone of Fab@Home on the exhibition, along with folks from MakerBot, RepRap, and Candyfab.

Meanwhile, if anyone out there is interested in my work and research please don't hesitate to get in touch. I am looking for a position, either temporary, permanent, part-time or full time where I can contribute my experience, enthusiasm and knowledge.

01.02.08

This week has been spent working on a mixture of tasks.
I finished designing the glass moulds on Rhino 3D. They are intended for production on the Z Corp machine in RapidformRCA, then infiltrated and cured. They should then be able to comfortably withstand the heat of rotation blowing. I first designed a piece to test both the materials and how the glass would fit the form, but decided that it was more productive to design a piece that related directly to my project.







Last weekends unfinished writing on ‘Sensing the Container’ gave me plenty to think about during the week. I revisited the Anthony McCall exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery and saw a number of connections to my thoughts on form and formlessness. The light, projected through smoke across a darkened room takes on a material quality that is not dissimilar to water or a translucent liquid like the Darjeeling tea that I drink. Being able to enter the beam of light, and engage with it, dramatically changes the experience of the space. The boundaries of the gallery completely dissolve; there is virtually no sense of anything apart from the slowly shifting form of the projected light and the image it creates on the wall.












I managed to resurrect our research seminar group a.k.a. the Cake club for a meeting at the V&A on Thursday. We met to discuss the ‘Out of the Ordinary’ exhibition, then were treated to tea and cakes by Heike in the wonderful Morris room of the cafe. There were mixed feelings about the exhibition, it was not greeted with complete enthusiasm. The glasswork of Susan Collis for instance, was generally regarded as literal, leaving little for the imagination, whereas the intricately carved plants and flowers by Yoshihiro Suda were appreciated both for the dedication of achieving such a high level of craftsmanship and their poetic quality. For me the positive aspect of the exhibition is that it is labelled as ‘craft’. From my perspective of 20 plus years making functional pots and now having the luxury of time away from the studio to redefine my future practice, I am excited by the attempts to redefine and reposition ‘craft’.

Thoughts from Matthew Collings ‘This is Civilisation’ series 4th programme – Uncertainty. [1]

Matthew Collings purports that art since the Impressionists is created by artists to reflect Western mans uncertainty in understanding the world around him. Previously, art was used to support man’s understanding of the world, backing up political and religious doctrines.
As advances in science provide answers to the fundamental questions of how we relate to the natural world, some of which were previously answered by religion, many people question their relationship to the society with which they are obliged to engage.
In the part of the world that I inhabit, employment for most people brings wealth well beyond their basic needs. Though potentially rich in material terms, the price paid in both physical and mental health terms, relationships with partners and family members etc. are considered by some to outweigh the gains. However, there are few alternative ways to successfully negotiate our modern world. Rejection of the system usually results in economic hardship and alienation from conforming members of society. Frustrations are sometimes negatively channelled into excessive consumption and violence, but can also lead, perhaps subconsciously into acts of creativity like gardening, and other outdoor activities that bring us into contact with the elemental forces.
The creative process can also be engaged with indirectly, through visits to galleries. Artists have always operated at the fringes of society, and are seen in many societies almost as shamans. They are the natural conduits through which questions can be asked, not to provide definite answers but to encourage debate and allow the participant to find their way of engaging with the modern world. Installation artist Clare Twomey says:

“I hope my work raises more questions than answers; the viewer is in control of the level in which they engage” [2]

Where does ceramics fit in to this dialogue? Only at its fringes? Studio ceramics, though a dominant force through the middle 50 or 60 years of the 20th century is now seen by many as side-lined, having no relationship to contemporary art. The word ‘Craft’ has been under attack for some years, being seen as the poor, or no relation to Art. There are now attempts to rehabilitate the word in exhibitions such as the joint V & A/Crafts Council ‘Out of the Ordinary – Spectacular Craft’. It’s not the craft that we are comfortable with; there may be superb craftsmanship but there’s no function, it’s cerebral work, posing questions, making observations. The exhibitors [what do they call themselves?] may specialise in the materials and techniques of one craft, but perhaps for the first time that is the subject of some of their work, not just the vehicle. The viewer takes away an experience, not a gewgaw.
The ‘Out of the Ordinary’ exhibition is the flux that is helping to forge a new definition of ‘craft’. With our world juggling sustainability and over-consumption, green issues and the latest ‘must-haves’ craft is beginning to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

[1] Broadcast on Channel 4, 15.12.07
[2] ‘On the Cusp’, Clare Twomey. Ceramic Review 229 Jan/Feb 2008, p.48.

12.10.07 – The Craft of Rapid Manufacture; Drawing and Making

The week started with a return to teaching on the Foundation Ceramics degree course in Carlisle. The CIA [Cumbria Institute of Art} has become part of the new University of Cumbria, which I don’t think will affect me very much. I’m teaching throwing to the first years and overseeing the second years. Both groups are small so that seems manageable and interesting.

Back in College on Tuesday I headed straight upstairs to RapidformRCA to check on my SLA torus piece. The second attempt had again failed at the same place on the rim, so the technician Greg, had a more detailed look and suggested that he strengthen the support matrix at that point.
Like the new hand building techniques I have been using, there is a craft element to Rapid Manufacture. The practitioner needs to know the characteristics and properties of the material and understand the methods by which it can be processed. The main difference between my two recent experiences is that the hand is absent in the making part of an RP piece. That doesn’t alter the need to develop a tacit knowledge as in other skills.

From there it was back to the Ceramics workshops and the familiar, traditional skills of glazing, drying and firing. More time was spent in the workshops watching plaster-sledging demonstrations by the highly skilled technician Stephan, and tutor Tavs Jorgensen. There are some interesting techniques that may have possible applications in my project. The other workshop demonstration I attended was press moulding by Martin Smith. He chose to use one of the moulds for his forthcoming Barrett Marsden exhibition, so it was interesting to see what his current work is dealing with. His demonstration clearly emphasised that to realise an idea, appropriate techniques need to be used; as he said he doesn’t have a favourite technique or one he feels most comfortable with. The process is a complex problem solving exercise where a high quality end result is the goal.

In between the workshops I was also preparing for the torus 03 form to be CNC milled. The material was measured and cut to size, leaving me with enough excess to produce another form.

Back up in RapidformRCA the third attempt had successfully been produced.
Once the material had been cured I took one of the failed ones and the successful down to my workspace to remove the supporting matrix. It was fairly easily removed, but care had to taken not to snap the brittle form. As can be seen in the photographs, the material does not possess the tensile strength to completely support the form. Would another RM material have the properties required or will I have to redesign the form? It won’t be the finished object I have imagined as it’s only 25 cm diameter and the surface isn’t smooth.
I wish to produce an actual three-dimensional version of a form that I can visualise in the virtual world of Rhino 3D software. On the computer screen it can be turned, scaled and I can even pass through the form. With the precision that the software allows me I can explore and develop my particular ideas far more accurately than with paper and pencil. The forms are based on simple geometric models, which with my level of skill can be drawn up on the screen fairly easily. This particular software may not be suitable for more complex intuitive forms. However, haptic modelling software is being introduced into the department, so it will be interesting to see how other students make use of it. I have found that my sketching has become far more simplified, mostly being a rough outline of simple forms. I use them to quickly run through a series of ideas, from which I can select a number to develop in Rhino.

By Friday I was feeling pretty exhausted, having had an intense return to College. However, I have achieved what I had planned. Just before I left I saw that start of the CNC milling process, watching the machine roughing out the beginning of the torus.
I spent the afternoon at the Frieze Art Fair in Regent’s Park before walking over to Euston for the train home.
It was my first visit to Frieze and an enlightening experience to see so much current contemporary art from many parts of the world under one canvas roof. It was possible to detect some trends, for instance the use of graphic design to convey messages and statements. Oppression, sex and the city are reoccurring themes, though one gallery countered them with a makeshift cinema showing Woody Allen’s film ‘Bananas’!
I missed visiting Origin at Somerset House, but felt that Frieze was more important for me to see.

The train home was extremely busy, but a useful time for reflection, planning and sketching, preferring, on this occasion the less intense experience of sketchbook and drawing pen.

28.09.07- Craft and the Computer

Last week was a busy one, on Monday I went down to London for the Craft Council’s ‘Craft, Creativity and the Computer Controlled Age’ event.
It was one of the many London Design Festival attractions held between 15 – 25 September. Chaired by Sir Christopher Frayling, it brought together makers involve or interested in the application of digital technology in their practices. The presentations were followed by a debate that ranged from the negative through scepticism to the enthusiastically positive.
This event linked in nicely with ‘Manufacturing Reinvented- additive manufacture and the second industrial revolution’ held at the RCA on the 25th September.
The speakers came from a spectrum of backgrounds- engineering, design, biomimetics, cultural and ‘outside the box’ in the case of Max Comfort.
As the conference chair, designer Geoff Hollington put it when talking about Rapid manufacture- ‘if this is the next industrial revolution then we are at about the year 1800 in its development’.
In many respects the technology is sophisticated, though it is still at an early stage in its evolution and has a long way to go. Technical problems will be ironed out, 3D CAD software will improve and I foresee a place for digital craft where knowledge of materials and processes can be part of the creative digital process.
There are many C21st Luddites out there who fear the death of skill, but they are wrong. CAD/CAM, rapid manufacture and the other new technologies are additions to the creative industry’s toolbox. Letterpress isn’t extinct even though it’s a far more laborious process than typography on the computer. My eldest daughter Rowan, brought letterpress and digital typography together in work for her degree and the results were stunning.
For me, the creative process is about the communication of an idea and I will choose whichever tool in the toolbox is the most appropriate for its realisation.

Last Wednesday evening we drove to London to deliver my youngest daughter Grace to Middlesex University for the start of her first term as a fashion student. Once she was unloaded and settling in I caught the tube from Oakwood to South Kensington to drop some stuff off at College then checked back in with Ray & Jeannette in Chiswick.
On Friday it was off to 100% Design at Earls Court, a busy show, the most interesting parts for me being the Lighting and Futures sections. I came across Earlsmann, producers of Light-Tape electroluminescent film, which I think looks to be the perfect light source for my cone pieces. There was also a sample of film from Elumin8 whom I must also speak to. Earlsmann produce a wide range of colours and the wiring and fitting looks really simple.

I found the most stimulating shows over in East London; Designersblock in the beautifully decrepit Nicholls & Clarke building was a treasure house of boundary-crossing creativity. I took my daughter Grace there and she also loved it Tent was a younger, livelier show than 100% Design, with a good number of last years RCA Ceramics & Glass graduates showing.

Back in College I’ve been sorting out my new space, following up some of the leads I made at the various shows and generally preparing myself for a busy term.