Selling theForever: the use of display in contemporary craft exhibitions

Abstract

I believe that purchasing a piece of craft is investing in longevity; that by owning the forever, not the throwaway it is the ultimate socially accountable consumerism. As such I contend that sustainability actually means choosing to buy a crafted object that will endure over a mass-produced one that will not. The manner in which craft is positioned to consumers in order to emphasise its unique and enduring qualities is a dimension that requires examination; as does the way craft retail can challenge consumer attitudes and offer ‘an alternative hedonism,’ (Soper, Making Futures II, 2011.) This paper offers an exploration of how exhibition display techniques can help influence consumers’ perception of craft as a sustainable purchase.

Socially accountable consumerism shouldn’t require a return to more basic and pre-industrial forms of selling; rather it should stimulate new, imaginative directions. Purchasing craft allows consumers to display signals about themselves: a piece of work that sustains trends and fashions; that is long-lasting and crafted rather than mass-produced and short-lived; that signals social and ethical concern rather than ‘disposable’ disregard.

I would contend that there is a degree of complacency in the craft world: galleries, retailers - and often makers themselves - expect work to sell itself and do little to give it the display it deserves to illustrate its unique traits or consumer offer. As online sales opportunities increase, craft galleries and shops should look to – and beyond – the trends and techniques of visual merchandising to offer an engaging, multi-sensory experience worthy of the unique nature of the work.

My practice, Crafting Spaces, seeks to offer craft buyers - both actual and potential - a more enhanced customer experience. Creating a context for craft – a suggestion of a domestic setting with an added twist of stylised narrative – can remove craft from the vitrine confines of many exhibitions and allow audiences ‘close encounters’ (Campbell and Falk, 1997) with pieces that are intended to be handled or held. Placing craft in environments that enhance its quality and uniqueness, as well as its purpose, can help to position craft as a long-term treasure, an enduring and sustainable purchase at the centre of a more equitable consumerism.

This paper reports on the findings of a focus group and interviews with attendees to Crafting Spaces exhibitions (February and June 2012; purchasers and non-purchasers) and reveals how aesthetic display can influence audience reactions by creating a pleasurable retail environment where the mainly female consumers (Morris Hargreaves McIntyre, 2010) can enter into a ‘daydream state’ (Campbell, 2005) and enjoy an ‘alternative hedonism’ (Soper, 2006.) This initial research is expanded by interviews (May 2013) with purchasers who reveal how their relationship with their purchases has evolved over the year; and if they have welcomed a piece of ‘forever’ into their home. Although limited in scope and sample size, this paper does offer a timely insight into the views of potential and actual craft buyers.