The Editor’s View
Editing Crafts means that I am able to explore, in depth, the stories and thinking behind many of the artworks exhibited at Collect.
For me, the distinction between contemporary and traditional craft is quite arbitrary. I grew up in India, where craft was simply an everyday reality – clothes, furniture and domestic objects were often handmade, repair was commonplace, my grandmother was a talented embroiderer who taught me how to stitch and knit from an early age, and my mother did pottery. If that’s not contemporary craft, what is?
The hand, mind and creative spirit behind an object is something I’ve always had a subconscious awareness of, and that continues today. My work is always about celebrating the human: whether decorative or utilitarian, every item we create is an embodiment of our culture, politics, community, relationships and values. I like to ask myself what future generations and archaeologists will think of us when they discover the artefacts and written records we leave behind. At a time of conflict, crisis and digital ephemerality, I think these questions are more important than ever.
Beyond the fact that they are a limitless canvas for creative expression – through stitching, weaving, dyeing and knotting – I’ve always found the universality of textiles profoundly moving. From the moment we are born to the moment we die, we use cloth to wrap us, shield us, comfort us, assist us and shroud us.
Editing Crafts means that I am able to explore, in depth, the stories and thinking behind many of the artworks exhibited at Collect, through interviews and talks with both established and emerging artists. I’m looking forward to doing the same again this year.
Debika Ray
craftsmagazine.org