Peter Dormer presents a series of lively, clearly argued discussions about the relevance of handicraft in a world whose aesthetics and design are largely determined by technology. One of the key questions discussed in the book is what makes the difference between a craft and a modern technology.
Introduction: the salon de refuse?, Peter Dormer. Part 1 The status of craft: the history of craft, Paul Greenhalgh; how strange the change from major to minor, T.A. Heslop; craft and art, culture and biology, Bruce Metcalf; craft within a consuming society, Gloria Hickey; the progress of Captain Ludd, Paul Greenhalgh. Part 2 The challenge of technology: patterns of making, Helen Rees; craft and the Turing test for practical thinking, Peter Dormer; CAD/CAM and the British ceramic industry, Neal French; textiles and technology, Peter Dormer; tornadoes, T-shirts and technology, Jeremy Myerson. Part 3 Writing about the crafts: writing about the crafts, Rosemary Hill; writing about objects we don't understand, Jonathan Meuli; the language and practical philosophy of craft, Peter Dormer.
