Podcasts
Julliette MacDonald Edinburgh College of Art, Edingburgh, Scotland.
This podcast is intended for educational use only.
As the British composer Simon Emmerson [2000, p116] has claimed: 'Traditions have fuzzy edges, both in space and time. Even to define a tradition at all may be to fall into the trap of reifying the notion after the event, yet we use the term for want of a better.' Taking Emmerson's observation as its starting point, this paper will question the role of tradition within contemporary craft practice. It will argue that it is crucial for craft to continue to find ways to foster a spirit of innovation whilst maintaining its connections with the established forms of knowledge which give it such a particular identity.
Using examples of contemporary British craft this paper will explore some of the tensions between overlapping discourses of tradition and innovation in relation to craft practice. It will ultimately argue that there are rich profits (culturally speaking) to be achieved from understanding innovation and tradition as being highly compatible elements rather than impossible opponents. Furthermore that the successful morphing of the two can result in craft practice not only successfully engaging with ever- increasing levels of commercial innovation but also of finding new ways to keep its own identity in order to continue to define its role in, and engage with, contemporary society.
References:
Emmerson, S. (2000) Music, electronic media and culture, Aldershot: Ashgate Press
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Dans son exposé, l'auteure met l'emphase sur l'importance de la tradition et la poursuite de l'innovation, dans la pratique artisanale contemporaine en Angleterre. Elle explore les tensions créées par ces deux points de vue, ainsi que leurs compatibilities.