Seminars

Elisabeth Gräslund Berg, Uppsala University    

The aim of this seminar is that we together can reflect on and discuss craft and crafting with focus on spatial dimensions. Spatial aspects can be both material and immaterial, they can influence our crafting and crafting can affect its environment. For example, crafting can be strongly connected to certain landscapes or create social spaces of crafting communities.

As preparation for the seminar, you will reflect on your own experiences and/or knowledge of crafts and crafting, and read two papers to get input on some spatial dimensions of crafting.

To reflect on possible spatial dimensions of your own experiences and/or knowledge of crafts and crafting, you can use these questions:

• Do you get inspiration from special places or landscapes for crafting?
• Where does the material for your craft come from?
• What are the needs of a specially designed workshop or a specific place for your crafting?
• Is it possible to perform your craft while moving/travelling, or going to meetings/gatherings for crafting?
• Is your craft identified with a specific place or region – or does it have a more general, global character?
• Does your craft affect its environment? Regarding for example the local community, pollution, regional economy, identity.
• Are there virtual spaces for your craft/crafting like online communities or online tutoring?

You shall also choose two out of the three suggested papers below, and read them before the seminar. The reading is intended to add input and inspiration to you for the discussion and reflection of spatial dimensions of crafting.

Carden, Siún (2022): Patterns and progams: Replication and Creativity in the Place-Based Knitting of Shetland and Ireland. Textile. Cloth and Culture  (on-line published dec 2022) [place-based craft, local identity, global relations, knitting] PDF

Hui, Allison (2012): Things in motion, things in practices: How moblie practice networks facilitate the travel and use of leisure objects. Journal of Consumer Culture vol. 12 no. 2 pp. 195—215. [mobility, patch-work quilting and birdwatching, tools for crafting, use of tools. To read this article I suggest that you start on page 202 with the heading “Performing on the move” with the empirical study of patch-work quilting and birdwatching. The introduction of the article is quite heavy on theory, and could be read after the empirical study.] PDF

Shabab, Sofya (2021): Crafting displacement: Reconfigurations of heritage among Syrian artisans in Amman. Journal of Material Culture vol. 26 no. 4, pp. 382—402. [intangible heritage, carpenting, refugees, displacement, development] PDF

Niina Väänänen, University of Eastern Finland    

1. assingment: Take a picture of your own crafted product and be prepared to introduce it to your team members.

2. assigment: Read the article by Väänänen, N., Pöllänen, S., Kaipainen, M., & Vartiainen, L. (2017) Sustainable craft in practice – from practice to theory, Craft Research, 8:2, 257-284. https://doi.org/10.1386/crre.8.2.257_1 

Ester Magnusson, Uppsala University    

Before the seminar, consider the following questions and write down your thoughts and questions: 
What do you look for when viewing crafts on social media? 

What do you think the people who would be interested in seeing your stuff would be looking for? 

If you saw something look easy on social media, how would that impact your perception of the craft?

Do you think making stuff available creates an appreciation or a devaluing of the techniques? 

When you post, do you want the focus to be on you (whether or not you are in the photo) or on the crafted object? Does it matter that you made it?

Liisi Tamm ja Grete Lehemaa, Pallas UAS

In this seminar we will discuss local production and usage of wool. We will analyse material samples and talk about different possibilities of using locally sourced wool in our (craft)products.

1. For the seminar, please watch at least two World Hope Forum videos from the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iXnR4cHrl4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqDCcSy-DYw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFFi2SKQsII

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBgXJyhlFM8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IqDREAGLmk

The videos are illustrating usage of wool and local productions (also from other materials) around the world.

2. Before the seminar, consider the following questions.

What wool-related problems could you point out (growing, producing, using, etc). Is wool as a material sustainable? In which areas could the wool still be used?

Lars Runnquist, Gothenburg University

Starting point for seminar 

•How is craft described on social media today?

•How is craft portrayed in relation to sustainability?

•What tendencies and buzz words do you find online?

Sum up your findings in five to ten screen shots/pictures > E-mail these to Lars, lars.runnquist@conservation.gu.se

•Lars will put your pictures in a PowerPoint.

•We will discuss your findings together.

•Together we’ll sum up the big picture on how craft is portrayed on social media today.

•The main ideas/trends will be summed up together.

Remember…

You can choose one seminar. The number of participants is limited. Register here for seminar