- Hardcover: 322 pages
- Publisher: MIT Press; illustrated edition edition (30 April 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0262133261
- ISBN-13: 978-0262133265
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 15.7 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
263,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #28 in Books > Art, Architecture & Photography > Painting & Drawing > Criticism & Theory
- #31 in Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Production, Manufacturing & Operational > Modelling, Prototypes & Simulations
- #85 in Books > Computers & Internet > Computer Science > Interface Design
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Drawing from many traditions, McCullough carries the reader on a wonderful pendulum swing from hand craft to industrialization back to postindustrial craft in the computer age. With clever examples of practices, conscious and unconscious, he provides a real sense of what the new technology feels like, and why 'after two centuries of separation the conception and execution of everyday objects are once again in the same hands.' A technologically deep book, it is accessible and useful for both non- and anti- technologists."--Danny Bobrow, Xerox PARC
Product Description
The love of making things need not be confined to the physical world - electronic form giving can also be a rewarding hands-on experience. In this investigation of the possibility of craft in the digital realm, Malcolm McCullough observes that the emergence of computation as a medium, rather than just as a set of tools, suggests a growing correspondence between digital work and traditional craft. With examples and illustrations drawn from a variety of disciplines, "Abstracting Craft" shows that anyone who gives form with software, whether in architecture, painting, animating, modelling, simulating or manufacturing, is practising personal knowledge and producing visual artifacts that, although not material, are nevertheless products of the hands, eyes and mind. Chapter by chapter, McCullough builds a case for upholding humane traits and values during the formative stages of new practices in digital media. He covers the nature of hand-eye coordination; the working context of the image culture; aspects of tool usage and medium appreciation; uses and limitations of symbolic methods, issues in human-computer interaction; geometric constructions and abstract methods in design; the necessity of improvization; and the personal worth of work. For those new to computing, McCullough offers an inside view of what the technology is like, what the important technical issues are, and how creative computing fits within a larger intellectual history. Specialists in human-computer interactions should find an interesting case study of the anthropological and psychological issues that matter to designers. Artificial intelligence researchers should be reminded that much activity fails to fit articulable formalisms. Aesthetic theorists should find a curiously developed case of neostructuralism, and cultural critics should be asked to imagine a praxis in which technology no longer represents an authoritarian opposition. Finally, the unheralded legions of digital craftspersons should find an acknowledgement of their artistry and humanity.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A very thorough and easy read for beginners to start thinking what lies beyond the computing technology. This book may be similar with Gate's The Road Ahead, but does not intrigue much ecological vision into abstracting the craft.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
Excellent exploration on ideas of making
12 Dec 2007
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was looking for concepts related to digital making, and how these techniques can derive from and be informed by traditional making practices(craft). This book delves into those ideas, though not in an intensely focussed manner. I recommend this for individuals interested in the intellectual/philosophical framing of such concepts, histories, and practices of making(craft).
HCI meets craft
10 Dec 2002
Format:Paperback
One fear of digitizing art concerns the loss of craft needed to produce objects in physical media. McCullough may not set this fear to rest, but he does present a persuasive case that craft as we know it remains present in new media. He is able to define tools, tool use and tool systems so as to convince one that the tools of program interfaces are as much tools as their physical kin. The distinction between a tool and a machine and how both are represented in a graphic program's interface is especially intriguing. This book would be of interest to the many sculptors who have adopted digital methods into their work, but it may be of most use for human-computer interaction professionals designing 3D interfaces.
5 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Can real artists use technology?
1 July 1999
Format:Paperback
A book which explores many issues around the role of the artist utilising new-media. This re-affirms the fact that in all art forms responsibility is upmost. Great read for artists considering using new technology, especially students.
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