User:Roos Peltenburg/Chapter 3 Craft today

This chapter is about considering some of today's popular craft practices, and the recent 'rise' of craft. Its also about why people in the present day still like to make things themselves.

18th century Craft referred primarily to political cuning and a sly, jocular tricksy approach to social issues.

19th century The notion of 'Craft' or 'craftmenship' appeared even less often, remaing pretty dormant until the last quarter of that century, when it sprang into action.

The Arts & Crafts Movement The combination of these three threads led to the A&Cmovement: a loose group of idealistic thinkers and craftspeople build on the ideas of Ruskin & Morris in different ways. All creative work was of equal status, and was the means by which human beings could connect with nature, with their own sense of self, and with other people.

DIY today is associated with everyday home improvement. This is a common suburban kind of phenomenon, popularly seen as a bit of boring and nothing to do with any kind of political movement.

Punk DIY culture is characterized by a rejection of the glossy, highly produced, celebrity-oriented mainstream of popular culture, and its replacement with a knowingly non- glossy, often messily produced alternative which is much less bothered about physical beauty, and declares an emphasis on content rather than style.