Monday, September 9, 2013
First Assignment
To get things started, we're reading the first chapter of "The Craftsman" by Richard Sennett, and making reading responses here on the blog. Additionally, I've asked all the members of the class to write a paragraph or so on what they'd like to know more, or understand better, by the end of the semester. I'm looking forward to seeing the responses!
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Semester Goals
ReplyDeleteThis semester as a participant in the community pilot lab, I’m looking forward to understanding and experiencing collaboration within our group. Thus far in my design education I have not had the opportunity of working within a group format. This is an exciting experience not only because I get to build relationships with my peers, but also it’s important to fully understand the practice of collaboration. This venture of collaboration will be successful through the means of proper dialogue, in terms that ideas and expressions are properly executed so as a team everyone is always on the same page. Also through communication and trust, we can then challenge our ideas, and push a good concept even further. The responsibilities that our team has is to set a standard for this future course offering, and as a participant of the pilot lab I intend on making an impactful experience for the BAC community.
The Troubled Craftsman Response
ReplyDeleteCraftsmanship is a trade founded on skill development, especially when this development is recognized at a high degree of experience. The process of being a good craftsman is ultimately begins with attention to the details of a composition. The regarded composition can take the life of any format, such as a Musician, or a Lab Scientist, A film Director, or a Novelist all work within the confines of craft.
The idea of craft is deeply rooted into the primitive senses of being human, tracing back to the ‘Hunting and Gathering’ era of human evolution. In sense the contemporary world is a response to these inherited traits of craftsmanship. The proof is in our cities, homes, and technological advancements the basic framework of our culture. However the future of humanities deeply rooted sense of craftsmanship is ultimately being jeopardized through the decay of the early modern society.
Growing up as a child here in New England, I’m sure I lost count of how many times my Grandfather has said “They sure don't make them like the good old days” Indicating that his generation was somehow better than the current, that craftsmanship was more regarded in his time as a youth. The answer to this statement might be a complexity of issues. One of these issues regarding modern craft might unfortunately be that “People” in general don't care. That somewhere in history people became disconnected with their deeply rooted sense of craft but most likely because of larger political and economic issues of the 20th century. This implication towards the craftsman’s profession has affected our culture, in what we accept as standards. The future of Craftsmanship can and will be long-lasting throughout history, except the audience and community for these skilled professions might be limited to the few and dedicated, in short its Darwinism, and with that said only the strong dedicated craftsman will survive.
Goals and aspirations
ReplyDeleteAs I go through Graduate school, it is increasingly easy to just get lost in attending classes, meeting assignment deadlines and basic requirements but I perceive there should be more to the experience. The school should not only engage the students but the students engage the school, the student body and the community on every level. It is in this regard that I want to see myself blossom. I want to know what it means to be a design professional in the truest sense of the word, develop the skills I need to be a successful architect and design practitioner. At the end of the semester I hope to have a firm grasp on how through collaboration I can further integrate with other students, the school, local design professionals and the larger community.
The Troubled Craftsman by Richard Sennett
ReplyDeleteSennett starts with painting a picture of dedicated craftsmen, each hard at work showing their commitment and dedication to their craft. This is what makes them craftsmen; their dedication, refined skill and passion for good quality work. Reflecting on the time when craftsmen were celebrated and had a standing in society, their role in the community was honored and respected but a shift occurred and the craftsmen became marginalized. He addresses some forces that influence modern craftsmanship; Weakened motivation with the direct results of poor craftsmanship and stunted corporate growth; Abuse of technology consciously and subconsciously eroding the place of iteration in design and skill development creating a disconnect between the hand and the head; and finally conflicting standards on what constitutes quality service in which the craftsman finds himself in a game of tag.
Reading through this piece, I found myself readily identifying with many of the salient points he made. In my previous studio all my drawings were hand drawn as opposed to the all too common CAD generated drawings. While, it took longer to churn out the drawings and meet the requirements for each class, it forced me to engage with the site and my building design in a very different way. As architects we all battle with the perfectionist syndrome, between doing it right and just doing it at all, it becomes both our blessing and our curse. The issues facing the craftsman are the issues we as designers have to contend with today; recognition, technology and the standard of practice.
This semester as part of the community pilot lab for gateway, I am looking forward to working with the group while learning and experiencing how to collaborate both in my education and within the design field. I would like to learn the importance of understanding and building relationship with my peers to reach a positive end goal. Also I would like to understand the specific step to take to carry out a well- organized project as a team. I aim to use what I learn from this experience to better my learning at the BAC and when I am in the design field.
ReplyDeleteA craftsman as Merriam-Webster defines it is a person who is skilled in a particular craft, such as an artisan, artist, or skilled worker. Richard Sennett though, may disagree with this one. In the book, The Craftsman, he defines it as someone who is "dedicated to good work for its own sake". Well according to this social philosopher, many of us today would know a handful of these “craftsman” who are not an artist or a skilled worker. Sennett then explores and explains the importance of craftsmanship to our culture, psyche and economy. He examines things through the history of work in general and craftsmanship in particular, looking for the reasons why quality and care are so forgotten in our society. What he unfolds is a remarkably balanced perspective on capitalism, recognizing its positives and its pitfalls, dwelling in particular on pyramidal power structures and on equality of individuals in terms of craft ability.
In my opinion Sennett is both engaging and intelligent in his writing, offering interesting examples of craft from ancient times through modern times that cluster around key insights or points that he makes. More especially, Sennett displays a measure of wisdom in his writing that avoids exaggeration, and instead attunes us all to the potential craftsman within each of us.