In the 21st. century cultures are becoming anti – hand. It seems everybody wants to go to university and not work with their hands. But hands are a source of intelligence. So “anti- hands” divorce themselves from a part of their intelligence. The harmony between eye/brain, hand and heart/spirit become lost and as a result we become half humans and the beauty of humanity will be gone.
Today human hands are merely put through the motions of making in a modern, semi-mechanized industry – the heart in the making is lost. An awareness of the difference between artisanal hand-making and the larger contemporary business of the so-called ‘handmade’ and ‘handcrafted’ is needed, without been sentimental. Handmade’ and ‘handcrafted’ are not always accurate terms.
When a need for something begins to vane, a society invests the material itself with cultural value and the focus is turned to mediating. It is worth noticing, that art exhibitions in the 21st century often implies the word hand in titles for exhibitions and thus the hand is highlighted. It is mentioned as remarkable in itself that hands have been involved in the creation. In the 80’ties artwork was not supposed to be too crafty looking, Now it has evidently become trendy that a work of art is produced by the hand!
In older cultures arts and crafts were perceived as a single
continuum. The inward focus, the centring of the body, the economy of purpose
and action, the artless unselfconscious dedication and surrender with physical
ease, finely tuned senses and expressiveness were the essentials. In India the
term abhyas covers all that. Abhyas,
meaning practice, includes aayas: action, the effort, and abhi the transcending
effect. Abhyas involves repeated effort in order to transcend the initial action
to achieve perfection. To reach one’s ultimate goals include detachment and
spirited practice. A true ahhyas never gives up – life is in itself a never
ending abhyas. The signature of the sensitive human body and an intimate
process free from the stress of productivity and standardization contain a
beauty which seems to be more and more rare.
Remembering the Japanese brushmaker Ozai Kaory, who told that he
was the only person left in
Japan who made home-made drying brushes used by papermakers. He had 3 sons. One of them had been learning this art:
making brushes for paper for 10 years and would continue the tradition. Mr. Kaoru had produced brushes for 60
years. He was the 5th
generation of brush-makers. Horsehair
and sheep hair yield the best brushes for drying brushes; goat hair and sheep
hair are used for gluing brushes. While Mr. Kaorus son, with hands moving like
a whirlwind, put down first, a layer of sheep hair, then horsehair, after which
the hairs were rolled together, the father was roaring with laughter and
mockingly exclaimed: my son still has a lot to learn. It takes at least 25
years before you can do it right! Hope the son has continued his craft.
To master a craft seems to be an enemy to artists in
the West, where old classical craftsmanship almost has disappeared. Observing
the drastic changes in India within the past 15 years one invariable starts
thinking that the same scenario will take place. In India a blacksmith still sits on the floor
in his tiny shop, hammering metal, but this will not last long, if nothing is
done to preserve the crafts that make it so fascinating to be in India. The son
of the blacksmith wants to become a computer engineer like many of the other
small boys. He does not want to do the same
work as his father
and his grandfather. But the blacksmith should be encouraged to teach his craft
skills to others - an effort should be made to make it attractive to become a
blacksmith, a potter, a weaver etc. In 2007 I
wrote about the excitement I found observing the traditional crafts in India :
THE GODS WHO LEFT US
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO ARE STILL IN INDIA, www.indiskkunst.dk / Mewar Magazine, Udaipur Dec. 2007 and Guderne er stadig i Indien,Magasinet
Kunst 5/2007. Now 9 years later I observe
a drastic decline in the way craft is done.
What has
survived in much of modern Indian hand-making is a more or less superficial, if
continuing, impression of a historical tradition, as materials, processes, and
even skills have irreversibly changed. Modern India has hugely undervalued its
traditional craftsmanship and seriously underpaid its craftspeople. My pitch is
to recognize artisanship and attempt to nurture it, perhaps even generate ‘new
traditions’ of artisanship, within a fresh, contemporary framework. The new
Indian artisan, whether of traditional lineage or not, may need to be nurtured,
promoted and treasured in an altogether new landscape of making and using.
In
today’s art world historic categories of material and form have become
irrelevant and we place importance of the act of making. The making can be
conceived of as a meta-action, an art in itself of making the invisible
visible, physical and tangible. The exploration of a material becomes art. It is
important to direct creative energy into the origin of things more now than
ever.
The Japanese
word ma is that what takes place in the imagination of the person,
who experiences a simultaneous awareness of form and non-form – a vision. The
vision in collaboration with the hand creates development.
In and
around Udaipur, India, it is a pleasure to discover, that among the younger generations
– there are some who is working on promoting and evolving traditional crafts,
with the aim of empowering low income craftspeople. Through education and
income generation programs they attempt to enable rural, indigenous artisan communities
becoming economically self reliable as well as ensure the sustainability of
traditional craft, techniques and skills that they practice. Aavaran is an
example. It was started by Alka Sharma, a textile graduate from Indian
Institute of Crafts and Design, Jaipur. Aavaran’s attempt is to evolve the
traditional Dabu mud resist techniques of printing, specially the indigo dyed
Phentiya print, while consistently innovation on design and quality and Aavaran
does it beautifully.
In and around
Udaipur it is still possible to study
the craft of:
Clay/Paper, Textile, Dying
techniques, Book art, Miniature painting, Furniture making, Glass – and Silverwork,
Marble sculpturing, Puppet theatre / Doll making.
In November 2016 we are proposing a workshop:
Workshop:
Art & Craft, Udaipur, India
Hands
– a source of intelligence
Nov. 4th-14th,
2016 you have the chance to participate in a workshop in India studying the
Indian Arts and Crafts.The workshop
takes place in Udaipur, also named the Venice of the East, in the Danish artist
Anne Vilsbølls house Makanne.She has stayed
in India 3-5 months a year for the past 15 years collaborating with talented
Indian artists and craftsmen.The day begins
with a morning walk around the Fateh Sagar lake or with yoga on the terrace.
We’ll make excursions during the day,visiting people
still keeping the old arts-and crafts traditions a.o. miniature painters,
colouring and the use of textiles, paper mill, book arts,
furniture workshops, potters and doll maker. These visits will be followed up
with discussions and theoretical point of views,that Marie Koch
will take care of in collaboration with Anne Vilsboell. Marie Koch is educated
picture weaver, holds a MA in genderand culture and
a Ph.d. in pedagogical theory. She is the former head of the Seminarium of Art
and Crafts and is currently doing research in learning
processes and identity within the aesthetic area.
The speciality
of Anne Vilsboell is handmade paper as an artistic means of expression. For
more than 3 decades she has done research at. Paper mills
throughout the world, taught at art academies and design school in Scandinavia,
written books and several articles on the subject.
She has been the
editor and president of IAPMA, International Association of Hand Papermakers
and Paper Artists. For further information:
Price for the
workshop: accommodation in double rooms, food, excursions and workshop for 10
days: 9.000 DKK – app. 1.200 Eur +
travel and visa.
Minimum 8 persons.
If you are
interested: please write to
annevilsboll@gmail.com
www.makanne.dk
