Week 1 Response- Jeffery Hill

1. Semester Goals

This 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.

2.  "The Troubled Craftsman" by Richard Sennett - Response

 

Craftsmanship 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 20^th 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.