craft.

After the lecture today, the division between art and craft became fragile. Knit is what I am doing for this week, walking into the room with the machines clacking and the coloured threads whirring, a girl in the class commented that it felt like visitng a factory in the 1920's. This made me want to ask the question comfronted in the lecture today about knit. How is craft distinct from art and design? Anyone with the knowledge of using a knit machine would be able to make beuatiful samples. Artists can visualise something clearly in their mind but they still need the skills to be able to create the ideas. Plumbers and electictians have to be creative and work well with their hands to do their job but does that mean they are artists? I would argue no, as craft has an emphasis on function. Roy Lichtenstein was a leading pop artist and rebbelled againt the theory of what art was, but it still became valued and pop art was used for the Beatles, Sgt. Peppers album cover. Acient shell neckalces have been found in caves and some belive that they were used for rituilas but they were used to show status for the chief of clans and for shemans to wear. Art is essentially leisure. 

Craft has recently become fashionable again  from the last craze in the 70's. Knitting groups have started all over Britian, a group in Nottinghill even had a knitted wedding. Caroline Gates is a contempary artist who uses knit. The problem with knit is how do you brand something that is against consumerism? Chi ha paura, who is afraid of? in Itailian, is a comtempory jewellery brand that is taking away the consumerism  factor yet still managing to brand an amazing company. Branding has ruined many brilliant artists before, Wedgewood was a pinoeer in branding and created one of the first factories, designing his own designs and then hiring other artists to paint his works threrefore making the products cheaper to buy but his crafts went down in value. To answer the question: how is craft distinct from art and design? I dont think anyone truely knows the answer but has to make their own conclusion. I personally think that craft is more of a hobbie and being an artist is a proffesion.