Is the division between craft and design relevant today?

This fascinating symposium brought together a range of outstanding practitioners from different disciplines to discuss the relevance and accuracy of the labels we give our ‘products’ and ourselves.  Where are the divisions between craftsperson, maker, designer, and should there be boundaries and distinctions?  How are these labels perceived by ourselves and others?

The day unfolded with a series of short animated talks from the invited speakers.  Each had their own point of view and welcomed questions and discussions from the audience, challenging perceptions were set at a lively pace.

The morning concluded and a delicious lunch was provided. This gave an opportunity for individuals to be interviewed and thoughts gathered, some can be seen on the Vimeo clip on the SIT site:  http://www.sitselect.org/sitsymposium.html

The afternoon was a seminar on ‘does craft have to be handmade?’

Again, a range of high calibre speakers, all successful in their own field, gave their point of view.  As technology has impacted greatly on the craft and design world, it generated a wide range of opinions.

The day was thought provoking and the questions are still wide open for further debate.  I personally feel that I would rather not define or confine my work to one particular area. With cross discipline collaborations becoming more prevalent, the definitions are blurring.  Creative processes can be literal, physical, scientific intellectual, conceptual or any combination and there are exciting times ahead for any creativity in craft or design.

Joy Merron