I usually think that the visibility of the hand in an artwork is there to stimulate in the viewer something like a creation narrative about the object; in other words, it is present in order for us to acknowledge how/why the object came to be. I am reluctant to think that the presence of the hand is of any inherent value in and of itself; rather, it is probably valuable in the service of something else. In fact there are surely crafts who's value increases as the pressence of the hand decreases, such as surgery.
I invite your interaction on the topics presented in the FROM TRASH TO SPECTACLE: MATERIALITY IN CONTEMPORARY ART PRODUCTION lecture series. Your participation through comments, questions, and debate is encouraged! Below each post is a comment link where you can post your comments. Join me! -- Janis Jefferies
Janis Jefferies is an artist, writer, curator, and Professor of Visual Arts in the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths College, University of London. She is Artistic Director of Goldsmiths Digital Studios and Director of the Constance Howard Resource and Research Centre in Textiles. Jefferies was trained as a painter and later pioneered the field of contemporary textiles within visual and material culture, internationally through exhibitions and texts. In the last five years she has been working on technological based arts, including Woven Sound (with Dr. Tim Blackwell). She has been a principal investigator on projects involving new haptic technologies by bringing the sense of touch to the interface between people and machines and generative software systems for creating and interpreting cultural artifacts, museums and the external environment. In the spring 2009 semester, Jefferies will be a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Fiber and Material Studies.
Answer: The "hand" needs to be seen when it relates to the concept of the work (i.e. "bad" craft's potential emotional content).
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I usually think that the visibility of the hand in an artwork is there to stimulate in the viewer something like a creation narrative about the object; in other words, it is present in order for us to acknowledge how/why the object came to be. I am reluctant to think that the presence of the hand is of any inherent value in and of itself; rather, it is probably valuable in the service of something else. In fact there are surely crafts who's value increases as the pressence of the hand decreases, such as surgery.
ReplyDeleteI think craft is often the bases of fine art. Without craft skills I'm not sure I can make.
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