The Power of Making is the second Victoria and Albert Museum and Crafts Council triennial exhibition - it has been about increasing the awareness of, and challenging preconceptions around craft and craftsmanship. The Power of Making is a celebration of the empowering nature of making and the human instinct to create. I'm enjoying the catalogue, there is a wonderful forward by Rosy Greenlees of the Crafts Council and Mark Jones, Director of the V&A -
'The International scope of the Power of Making highlights how the impulse to make things with our hands is universal. The action of making, and the outcome of a crafted object, connects cultures, communities and generations. Handmade objects have a story. They have been touched, manipulated, hammered, thrown, blown, carved by another human hand. They connect us to ur past and to our familial and cultural histories. They are the objects that we see in the public collections of the V&A and the Crafts Council - recording, as elegantly as verbal and written accounts, the histories of cultures and peoples'.
I was so pleased to see stone featured in the exhibition - actually a dry stone wall - start with the most affable stone, all the ones laid after chosen for the stones found before. These words are clever and I can relate to them. And carving too - I love this - when you are down to the last inch, and you think you are running out of possibilities, sharpen your eye
Alphabet - Dalton Ghetti (photo by Sloan T. Howard Photography)
Power of Making is an exhibition about the breadth and depth of craft’s
presence in modern life. The featured objects have been selected to
highlight both age-old skills and contemporary techniques, from
traditional stone walls to machines that can make other machines. Each
exhibit demonstrates refined craftsmanship, meticulous control or
ingenious application.
It seems to me that this exhibition does 'officially' on a large scale just what I experience reading everyone's blogs, there are so many makers who's blogs I relish visiting - I have the same sort of tour of exquisitely made objects and the love and compelling creative stories behind them.
If you can't manage to get to this brilliant exhibition, which continues until January 2nd, 2012 at the V&A Museum - just visit a few makers' blogs!
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Everything in this post resonates with me so much! I can't wait to get to the V and A! Bx
ReplyDeleteThere's been a similar series over here called Craft In America.
ReplyDeleteBelinda, had a feeling it might, I thought of you as I wrote! Hope you enjoy it - I found it deeply energising and intensely motivating with exciting reflections on the future of making.
ReplyDeleteI love the V&A. I get quite emotional when I visit. All those wonderful objects. I aspire to one day make something so beautilful that it will live in the V&A.
ReplyDeleteWell we all need a dream.
Fiona, I'm sure it won't be long before you have something there! How do we make that dream a reality? Do you know how it happens? Is it by very special invite, or?
ReplyDeleteI love how creativity covers so many mediums and find it a constant struggle to get people in this modern world of ours to appreciate how much of the creator goes into these individually made things - I seem to have chosen something harder still to gain understanding for, fibre and stitches - its just womens work isn't it? Little do they know!! Long may the power of making continue....
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