Crafted. On Conceptual Crafts

Crafted. On Conceptual Crafts
BNO symposium april 19 2009

On Sunday 19 April the symposium Crafted will take place at De Zwijger in Amsterdam. Experts and practitioners will offer a broad vision of contemporary conceptual crafts, casting a glance towards the past and the future. In readings, discussions and presentations we will look at contemporary developments in conceptual crafts and at how materials, past influences, and current social and economic circumstances are dealt with.
The concept of craftsmanship is central, and one that has been receiving a lot of attention lately. What concrete function do traditional skills have in the creative processes of conceptual crafts and design? Is a knowledge of and dedication to traditional trades necessary for innovation and for the development of new techniques and materials? Are unique, crafted, hand-made objects the answer to the demand for sustainability, or do they constitute a new form of luxury? 

The occasion for the symposium is the publication by BNO of Vrije Vormgeving. Mapping Dutch Conceptual Crafts. In images and text, the book charts themes and visions surrounding contemporary and possible future developments in Dutch conceptual crafts. It covers a broad selection of work in the field, from Chew Your Own Brooch by Ted Noten to the fairy-tale table Godoga, crafted in Indonesia by Niels van Eijk and Miriam van der Lubbe. In six short articles, attention is paid to the economic circumstances of artists working in conceptual crafts, their position in between the fine arts and industrial design, the importance of sensitivity to both materials and skills, and the place of conceptual crafts from an international perspective. 
The authors are Patrick Aarts and Rob Huisman (project manager and director of BNO respectively), Liesbeth den Besten (art historian, journalist and one of the founders of ThinkTank), Love Jönsson (curator, critic and lecturer at Göteborg University in Sweden), Dingeman Kuilman (director of Premsela, Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion), Louise Schouwenberg (design critic and lecturer at the Design Academy in Eindhoven) and Warren Seelig (artist and professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, US). The book is edited by Monika Auch, a practitioner of conceptual crafts and a member of the board of BNO. 

From 19 April the book can be ordered through bno.nl/publicaties and copies will be on sale during the symposium (for €20 rather than the usual price of €28.50).

Dates and price

Time: 11.00 am to 18.30 pm 

Prices: € 55,- / BNO members: € 35,- / Students: € 20,- 
(incl. lunch, coffee&tea, drinks, a discount on the book Vrije vormgeving. Mapping Dutch Conceptual Crafts)
Register at: www.bno.nl/crafted or ask for the english registration form at vrijevormgeving@bno.nl