Year 2 Constellation PDP

My year in constellation started off Theo Humphries’ module option on ‘Understanding Humour in the Context of Art and Design’, which he promised would help us to deal with concepts which, like humour, were ephemeral and hard to quantify. The option explored ways of studying and understanding humour, from the philosophical to the scientific.  I found the series of lectures insightful, and they did help me begin to understand some tricky concepts, such as seeing humour through multiple theories, and how perhaps these contrasting theories actually work together  to build a bigger picture.

However, at this point I began to formulate some ideas about what I wanted to write for my dissertation. I found myself reflecting on the cigarette butt necklace which I made in the first year, and the values I tried to infuse it with; of beautifying the ‘ugly’, and using art and craft to raise attention to issues which I find important, in this case, litter. I realised that it probably would have been more productive for me to have chosen Cath Davies’ module option:  Goddesses and Monsters: Glamour and the Grotesque in Visual Culture, which focused on notions of materiality in relation to embodiment and the juxtaposition of the goddess with the monster. Nevertheless I had to write a short essay on a subject of my choosing, with relation to humour. I was thinking about irony as a form of humour, and how this can be employed in art and design to instigate change. This is when I began researching into ‘Chindogu’ a form of product design which is made purely for the purpose of humour, which I argued, is the quality which in fact changes it occupation from product design to fine art, as it serves no purpose other than aesthetic and conceptual. This piece of writing was definitely not my best work, due mainly to the fact that I simply did not do enough prior research, and did not have a very strong concept. I feel that I wasted my time by talking about a subject which was not really relevant to my own practice.

The module option ended and I began considering the possibility of writing a 10,000 word business plan, rather than the more favoured 10,000 word thesis. My very basic idea was to ‘Produce a business model for a sole tradership that sells handmade items, initially online.’ Though I still feel that this would have been very good practice for the real world, I did have complete faith in my idea, as I feel that at the moment there is nothing to make it competitive. I decided instead to try to understand my own practice more fully by analysing it in depth, which in turn I hope will inform my practical work, making it more sophisticated. For this reason I have decided to write either the 10,000 word thesis, or the 6,000 work text with an accompanying artefact.

For the dissertation I was initially thinking about the way in which the ideals of perfection has changed throughout time: The old masters used to paint photo-realistic paintings, which were considered the height if perfection, not least because it took so much time, effort and training. However, the introduction of the camera made the ‘perfect’ image instantly accessible, and today dominates our visual culture. In turn though, this has left the painter without the responsibility of figuratively documenting the world, and instead they can turn to any other concept they like. I believe it is the same with craft: The introduction of machines throughout time has meant that ‘perfection’ (in terms of something without flaw and of good functionality) can be easily achieved. For example, a ceramic bowl may be produced on an enormous scale, and look exactly the same as all the others in the same line of production. However, this level of ‘perfection’ has devalued the bowl, not just economically, but also conceptually. A bowl that is handcrafted by an artisan, may have a higher level of value, as it is now more sought after that the mass produced one.

I decided to narrow down my research to the study of contemporary jewellery (while making reference to it’s past) to enable me to look in depth into one area of ‘craft’. During a tutorial with Theo I came up with the titile:

“Understanding the notion of perfection in the context of the contemporary handmade: A case study in jewellery”

Following the submission of this title and a brief description of my intended research, I was given Cath Davies as my dissertation tutor. Following a tutorial with Cath it became clear to me that I had to split my field of research into three categories:

1. Academic perspectives on perfection and it’s relationship to ‘beauty’.

2. Academic perspectives on the debate of the handmade vs. the manufactured.

3. Academic perspectives on jewellery and it’s function and meaning.

The reading I have done so far has led me mainly to concepts about the handmade and the manufactured, and some views on contemporary jewellery. I have not yet looked much into the concepts of beauty and perfection. However what I have realised is that my direction might change slightly – instead of looking at beauty in craft and industry (which is of course highly subjective, and so hard to explain), I may research more into the changing definition of ‘craft’ as it has become apparent to me that there is an upheaval in the old tradition of craft, and that it is becoming a new movement, with ideals and intellectual concepts of it’s own, just it’s counterpart’s fine art and design.

I did not think I would, but in fact I am really looking forward to being able to present a concise argument for the deifnition of contemporary craft. My title, as it stands, will be:

“Defining ‘Craft’: The evolution of contemporary jewellery”