Preserving Handcrafts
Posted by Curt Franklin on 11 December, 2007
What happens when the last practitioner of a traditional craft dies or retires? We think of the loss in cultural or aesthetic terms, but with craft as the foundation for much of our technology, future innovations may be lost or delayed, as well.
The International Kumihimo Conference provided an opportunity to see the point where traditional crafts and modern technology meet. The value of the craft — and the potential magnitude of the loss — were clearly demonstrated by the participants from both sides.
I tell the story of preserving handcrafts through a lens of kumihimo braiding. It is, I think, a modern story told through a very old language. Click on the hands of the braider to get the whole story.
