| In the summer of 2015, I bought a broken-down but charismatic 1957 aluminum delivery van with the goal of creating a mobile woodshop. As a compulsive tinkerer with an adoration for vintage woodworking machinery and automobiles, the challenge was enticing. This work is representative of the following two year endeavor, driven by my personal belief that in our culture defined by hyper-consumption the labor of craft is a necessary and radical act.;The modern culture industry co-opts and fetishizes the idea of craft. Craft increasingly exists as an abstract notion. It is a value word used to sell products, its attributes severed from actual objects and the corporeal reality of making. These disposable objects are designed and manufactured for a consumer rather than a user. Vast distances and layers separate us from their production. However, craft's origin myth tells a story of objects democratically created within a community; the village carpenter fulfilling vernacular needs of the town.;As a craftsperson I firmly believe in the value of continuing tradition. But it is important to learn from the past to create meaningful and applicable solutions for today and the future, rather than solely romanticize where we've been. I recognize my nostalgia for "old iron" or the golden age of craft as a cultural construction, yet this mythology is an essential part of my continued motivation. This narrative places craft in opposition to current technologies which progressively obfuscate direct material interaction. Craft's value lies in its educational and humanizing benefits. As an affective labor, craft both enlivens the maker and enriches the life of the user. Appreciating craft is appreciating human history.;The U.S. Craft Bureau, like the government agencies it mimics, has the noblest of missions but does not necessarily operate efficiently. The project's implied institutional authority embraces an aesthetic which is designed to be benign and approachable. As a sovereign operation the Bureau identifies problems caused by consumer desire and promotes craft as the viable solution.;This project was exhibited as Mobile Services in the University Gallery at San Diego State University from April 17 to April 26, 2017. |
