Contributors: 
Knut Natvik (NO)  ∣   Dennis Dahlqvist (SE)  ∣   Michael Eden (UK)  ∣   Anders Jakobsen (SE)  ∣   Alain Mailland (FR)  ∣   Trine Wester (NO)

Moderator: Dr. Stephen Knott (UK)

Is craftsmanship still relevant within the field of contemporary craft? Do the artists who work with crafts have aesthetic practices that are distinct from that of other artists? Does the act of hand-crafting an artwork entail that the reception of it will be different from the reception of works produced in other aesthetic disciplines? 

Program

“Reflections from the Workshop” Knut Natvik 
What skills and experiences are important for the ceramic artist? In his talk, Knut Natvik reflects on the knowledge needed by ceramic artists today in order to develop their skills. 

Trine Wester 
Drawing on her experiences from teaching at the Oslo National academy of the Arts, Wester will talk about the challenges of integrating new digital technology with traditional workshop practices.

“The Future is Handmade” Dennis Dahlqvist 
During the last few years handmade crafts have made a remarkable comeback in the world of design after at least a decade of neglect.  Why are young designers working by hand again and why has shift happened right now? 

“Passion for Wood” Alain Mailland 
Mastering techniques is necessary for craft artists working with wood, says Alain Mailland, but in his lecture he will also speak of his passion for the material itself.

“Surfing 101” Anders Jakobsen 
A lecture on how to surf, and on why the expression ‘surfing the wave’ is a common misunderstanding, and on how all of this is vital to Jakobsen’s work and ideas on craft activism.

Michael Eden 
Michael Eden’s lecture will illustrate the way in which the adoption of new tools has blurred the boundaries between art, craft and design. Designers are now getting their hands dirty with messy materials and craft makers are hacking technology, resulting in a new language of making.

The seminar was co-organized by Norwegian Crafts (NC), Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts (NK) and the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo.

Previous seminars:
2009:    Stealing Beauty
2010:     Art and Industry
2011:     Home as historical and contemporary context for arts and crafts
2012:     Materiality matters - context and content of the tangible

 The seminar Very Good became the inspiration for the second volume of our bookseries Documents on Contemporary Crafts, Materiality Matters, along with the seminar Materiality Matters from 2012.