"As our lives become increasingly digitalised, and we consume more images on-screen, the presence of handmade elements in a digital context brings the content back into our ‘real’ world and our tactile experiences."
Another article I found on CreativeBloq, this time from May 2013:
There are some really interesting comments made within this article about what it is that makes handmade so valuable. It is stated that there is a sense of honesty in the handmade process, and that's something that I would definitely agree with. You are taking raw materials and turning them into something incredible, something that you don't get with digital design. Granted, you can create immensely beautiful things with a computer from scratch but I just don't feel the same sense of achievement, as I said before. It seems much more treasured too, it's a one off and yes while you may have photographs of it you don't have backups of copies and surely that makes it that little bit more special? This particular article has also alerted me to the existence of an amazing website called http://www.ikeahackers.net/ where people send in adapted versions of their IKEA products or alternative uses for them.
"What takes months of planning and building by hand could be achieved in minutes on a computer, but the final image would lack integrity. It’s the story behind the making of such an image that captures the imaginations of viewers."
This particular article has also alerted me to the existence of an amazing website called http://www.ikeahackers.net/ where people send in adapted versions of their IKEA products or alternative uses for them. Consumers taking back control if the product does not meet their requirements/is not adequate.
All the comments and points made in this article relate perfectly to my earlier question of 'is handmade valued more?' and if so then why? I will further analyse the article and comments made, and look into the 'honesty' of handmade design as I think this could be a good feature to focus on. It's something I completely agree with. The article also states that handmade has been making a return for around a decade so I will be looking back further to see if I can find any examples.
"The future of handmade is not simply about an aesthetic or a set of tools or practices, then, but a system of beliefs, or an ethic about ways of working that upholds quality, craftsmanship and innovation. The handmade in design is bound up with wider cultural changes relating to consumption. The hegemony of the mass-produced is compromised when we, as consumers, feel the need, and find ways to reverse it, by hacking its products into something more personal, rewarding and long-lived. Fundamentally, we are rediscovering our hands as tools, making us active participants in designing the future."
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