Visiting
Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsmen at The British Museum
The Power of Making at The V&A
The Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unkown Craftsman and The Power of Making are dedicated to every craftsmen in the past and in the future.
In a dictionary i looked up the word 'Craftsmen' it read,
'a person who is skilled in a particular craft'
and 'an artist'.
I think this helps sum up the kind of pieces shown in both exhibits, including Perry's latest ceramics and The Power of Making focusing on the revival of handmade design.
Continuing the theme from my last post on The British Museum, Perry chose individual pieces from their vast archives next to new works from himself.
At times i found it hard to tell which era was which between his new works and 500 year old pieces.
Although the imagery Perry uses and the cultural side of the historic pieces are all similarly about the times and society we live in, the important contrast is that Perry exists in a world where the celebrity artist phenomenon is at an influential high.
An important theme of this exhibition is the meaning and power of identity in art and artefacts.
the pieces he chose from The British Museum are focused on unknown craftsmen, lost names and dates, extraordinary pieces that remain anonymous.
The Power of Making presents a new wave of handmade art and dynamic design,
many of the works use traditional techniques such as China Pottery and Crochet to create something new and thought-provoking.
The exhibit made me question the power of handmade design, the way mass-produced consumption has taken over many creative industries brings life and almost an aura back into a simple hand-knitted jumper.
We're learning to appreciate the care and patience, even well-fare and history of our possessions. The connotations and thought behind what goes into a finished item, particularly clothing is becoming much more important to the public.
