Crafting an appreciation of design

CORK Craft Month, which runs until September 8, showcases the enormous range of ways in which Irish craft and its history can be invoked, questioned or celebrated.

Ask around, and views about craftspeople are wonderfully varied, from the boreen-dwelling, hand-knitted yoghurt hippie stereotype to the new, sleeker breed of designer-maker. So too are discussions of their work, from the rise of “craftivism” — such as guerrilla textiles, performances and yarn-bombing — to lofty arguments about conceptual meaning.

In attempts to unravel the definition of craft, some writers have focused on the contrast with works of fine art, and the key distinction that a designed object is made to a pre-set specification, whereas an artist more often pursues a personal creative journey. But for many who work in clay, metal, fibre, wood or glass today, creative experimentation with process may throw up a new idea or different direction along the way.