By “Theory of Craft” in this context I want to research specifically about what makes craft on a meta layer, that is separate from any specific project or pattern, what there is to be said about the making of the thing, rather than the thing. And how the making of a craft object can be inspirational to the making of a design project, how the process can be influenced and changed.
Mostly, crafts are seen as a means to an end, a product that is mostly to be worn. But depending on the research, craft is also often seen as “a way of thinking through material” (Nimkulrat 2012) “In textiles as well as other material-designated disciplines, craft is understood not only as a way of making things by hand, but also as a way of thinning through the hand manipulating a material. […] Craft is thus ‘a means for logically thinking through senses’.” (Nimkulrat 2010) The material itself plays a more active role than in design disciplines: while the paper as a material of for example a poster only comes into play when the design is finished, in textiles the material itself is what builds the design, what the designer is working with, the work is building itself up row by row.
The thought process behind a piece is most often seen as separate from the process of making it, maybe since there is a lot of work from patterns in craft that were designed by someone who is not the person making it. But the movements that create the piece, the tangibility and the connection to the physical object in the making can also be seen under a more philosophical lens. “The process of making objects by hand can be identified as one way of thinking intellectually” (Sennet 2008)
