Craft beyond craft: the transformative potential of craft's resilience

Abstract

In the face of recent environmental, socio-economic and political crises, there is growing doubt in the capacity of the
neoliberal economic system in delivering ways of living that are equitable and ‘sustain-able’ (Harvey 2010). During this
time of increasing uncertainty, in many western countries, craft has enjoyed a period of renaissance. The ideological
connections of craft with eco-living and other grassroots movements; accessibility of its processes; and its defiant
history have made craft attractive to a diversity of amateur and professional practitioners, and its practices have become
representative of the emerging counterculture to capitalist hegemony. Its current popularity should be celebrated but
to ensure its longevity craft cannot rely on a possibly fleeting status as an alternative to mainstream practices. Given
its continued presence throughout history, it is likely that craft will persist. But in what form? This paper argues for an
expanded and more permanent role for craft that contributes to ‘sustain-able’ futures (Fry, 2011), and for focus to be
returned to craft’s strengths – namely its diversity and persistence – in order to develop this capacity. This paper proposes
that in order to imagine these futures for craft practice it is necessary to explore the potential of plural economies in
delivering ‘sustain-able’ ways of living. It explores the notion of ‘resilience’ and its relationship to possible transformative
agency that can encourage and support ‘sustain-able’ practices.