A Theory of Craft: Function and Aesthetic Expression [Kindle Edition]

This is a very well-written and easy to read book that examines what craft is, and its place in the world. Risatti looks at the properties of craft objects and discusses how they different from art objects. He examines other writer's work as it relates to craft, e.g. Aristotle, Schopenhauer, Kant, Simmel and particularly Heidegger, whose ideas are discussed throughout the book. The text is liberally footnoted, and original authors are always fully cited so you can easily locate the text under discussion for yourself.

Risatti's main thesis is that craft objects are defined by having a connection to the body, and being formed around physical purpose and function. Interestingly he believes that media often considered craft, such as jewellery, textile design, tiles, architectural ornamentation etc. belong in a separate category of "adornment" which should be separate from craft objects, situated part way between craft and art (p. 39-40). As I am personally most interested in textile-based craft this made the book a little frustrating for me, as Risatti's subsequent discussions do not encompass these media. However he does discuss textiles in places where they are involved with craft/art intersections, such as a very interesting piece about Robert Rauschenberg's work 'Bed' (1955), in which the artist partly painted over a bed quilt with oil paint and pastel (p.132-134).

I particularly liked the chapter 'Thingness of the thing' (p.139-149) as this is a succinct and accessible unpicking of Heidegger's 'The Thing', and would be a useful read for undergraduates studying design.

Risatti actually draws a huge distinction between the designer and the craftsperson. He states that "in the process of designing the designer does not directly encounter the physical world of matter: no dialogical/dialectical process occurs, no give and take...between idea, form and matter through which they eventually come together as a fully fledged design object" (p. 171). Risatti states that a designer is "compelled to conceive objects for mass production" (p.173) and his discussion of the implication of multiples in the form of copies and reproductions is very thought-provoking. At first I was inclined to take issues with the claim that designers are forced to remove themselves from the dialogic relationship with materials, and then sadly I found myself forced to admit Risatti was right, and I just didn't want to admit the real-world day-to-day limitations of design.

So, overall, a really interesting book, and I recommend it to anyone interested in crafts from an academic perspective.

Howard Risatti's "Theory of Craft" is a patient, searching examination of the roles and natures of craft objects, tools, and machines in addressing issues of purpose, use, and function. In carefully defining and expanding upon these ideas, it may seem at times as if Risatti is engaging in academic hair-splitting. However, such thoroughness is necessary in addressing complex yet often unstated issues related to the objects found in our everyday lives. In my opinion, this is a very good book on an extremely interesting subject and, while different from these books, I find it as useful and worthwhile as two other favorite books: David Pye's "Nature and Art of Workmanship" and Laurel Ulrich's "Age of Homespun."

I did a review for amazon.co.uk and realised it did not appear in other countries!

It now appears here:-

I'm not a "crafts" expert, I am a dry stone waller.

However, reading Howard Risatti's book took me on a journey (not easy! but logical and understandable) to see how I could understand walling in the current context of discussions about the status of "craft" in its historical and present context in the western world.

(*I came across this on page 34:- "while shelters may be thought of as a set that that has some connection to the sets that constitute the class craft, they are not objects because of their large size and immobility, and therefore, strictly speaking, cannot be considered part of craft".

So building drystone walls is not a craft? I think not...)

Seriously, this book is a really useful discussion of some current issues, and develops logical arguments to support his theory. Mr Risatti knows that of which he speaks... I hope this huge contribution to the academic discussion gets the attention it deserves.

If you also read Garth Crooks' "How envy killed the crafts movement" and perhaps "Thinking through craft" by Glenn Adamson then you will have a better understanding of the current debate.

There must be a similar discussion on this side of the atlantic, but I suspect this may well be in a different form... as is always the case with the arts vs. crafts debate...