ARCH41360 Crafts, Making & Storytelling

Academic Year 2021/2022

How does making things help us understand the material world we live in? Our homes, workplaces and daily lives are packed full of things, but they are things that are for the most part made by other people. In the past, things were made by other people too, but you probably knew those people, and might have seen it happening. Today, we mostly lack knowledge and understanding of how the things in our lives are made, the materials used, who made them, and what the 'making' of things tells us about everything - society, economy, materials, production and exchange. So, how does making things ourselves change our understandings of the tools and materials used, the time, skills and effort required, and the life of things. Can we use the work of craftspeople, artists, and makers - and the anthropologists who watch them - to help us understand 'making' in past and contemporary societies across the world? This module will explore Craft Theory, and ideas about the making of material culture which originate in art history, design theory, archaeology, cultural geography and anthropology. These ideas will then be applied to your own reflections on the uses of different materials and the making of things. In this module, you will make something(s), and reflect thoughtfully on the process of 'making' a thing(s), and share your thoughts and ideas with your class mates. The module will be primarily assessed by means of 1) a Reflective Learning Journal and 2) a Portfolio, whereby you can produce digital Posters, Blog Post(s), Podcast(s), or a YouTube/Vimeo video telling stories about your making of things.