Contemporary craft presents a profusion of paradoxes. It bridges ancient traditions and state-of-the-art technologies, cutting edge concepts and enduring tenets about skilled making, and in so doing blurs the lines between art, craft, and design. This pioneering publication brings together work by nearly forty international artists, whose varied approaches are not only pushing but redefining the boundaries of what we call craft today. Author and museum curator Emily Zilber investigates the role of new tools and materials; the connection between craft and performance; and the power of craft to interact with architecture. Along the way, readers encounter a diverse group of works across a wide range of materials and practices, including 3-D printed ceramics, a dancelike medium involving molten glass called pyrography, and a piano deconstructed to form jewelry that both surrounds and adorns the body. Enhanced with approachable text and abundant illustrations, Crafted forms a tempting invitation to explore these stunning and surprising objects in flux.
