Event overview
The Thursday Club is an open forum for anyone interested in the theories and practices of cross-disciplinarity, interactivity, technologies and philosophies of the state-of-the-art in the current and future cultural landscape(s).
This proposal suggests a panel to discuss the ‘geographies of craft; spaces of creativity; and connected communities’ with particular focus on textile crafting. Textile crafting is enjoying resurgence in popularity, of late (Jefferies and Were, 2010). Artists are exploring the aesthetic
possibilities and symbolic power of fiber (Auther, 2009). At the forefront of the revival is knitting, performed and practiced collectively in pubs, cafes or to graffiti street furniture and well-known landmarks (Tourney, 2009; Hemmings, 2011). At the same time, the cost of electronic
materials is decreasing and makers are beginning to merge traditional crafts with the digital, creating new hybrid opportunities. This has issued a growth of online as well as co-located communities and spaces for crafting with
technology. We hope to explore the relationship between communities engaged in craft experience and practice to make sense of the political, social, and emotional possibilities of contemporary craft practices.
Some of the questions the panel will ask include: How might we thinking of crafting as ‘making connections’ between disciplines; how are these connections made methodologically in doing research on craft? How do
makers reflect on their embodied practice of making, and how does this affect the relationship to space and place? How can we identify or create spaces of creativity? How do values of crafting speak to temporalities and rhythms of the city? Why do we get together to craft, and how does
this affect our relationships with our spaces and our communities? What are the geographies of textile crafting: feminist, aesthetic, and public, private, urban? How might we engage with ‘craft as activism’ * as makers, academics, both? What is the impact of social media and new technologies on the spaces of crafting? The objective of the panel discussion is to explore the spatial stories that unfurl in investigating craft in contemporary society and between disciplines.
The panel consists of researchers and makers engaged in crafts research and practice. We are planning two panel discussions, which will form the basis for an anthology. We welcome suggestions for talks and submissions
to the anthology.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Oct 2012 | 6:00pm - 8:00pm |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
