CRAFTS TRADITIONS PART 3
Susan Harmon, April 11, 2016
Traditional Crafts (online) Futur Atkins, Professor
This film was selected for the Ulster American Society's
"Northern Ireland Film Festival" that was held on November 7 & 8,
2008 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. This film is about
the pleasures of working with wood. It highlights two people who love working
with wood and teaching young people to work with local wood in Ireland. The
first person crated table with oak
highlighted timber and creating decoration and contrast by inlaying walnut, a
darker local wood. He uses the darker inlaid wood to also give symmetry to the
piece. It adds richness to the surface because of its darker color. He talks
about his love of working with wood especial local timber and his love for
working with his hands in creating something from nothing. He talks about his
love of using the rich outdoors in Ireland and making something to enrich the
indoor space. He discusses the consumer in today’s society and mass production
and that he thinks people want something handmade that has more meaning and
will survive from generation to generation not simply a bought mass produced
table with no meaning, that will be thrown away and forgotten in a few years.
The second person is making a chair and teaches young people how to make
something important and valuable out of timber. She discusses the importance of
teaching this skill to those less fortunate with low self-esteem and who may
never even passed an exam so the gratification of creating something from a
long is immense. The sensual quality of working with wood and the wonderful
smell of wood only enhance the experience and process. She feels that the more
of yourself you invest in the final product the more you get out of it. The way
the light reflects on the wood impresses her greatly and the process and
patience of making a table or chair from wood is immense. The pleasure of the
process and knowing that you transformed something is so pleasing. They love
using oak and creating a unique one.This was a beautiful film and I was actually surprised at my love of this process of woodworking as it is so different from mine.this movie ws beautiful with the imagery and the personal touch of the artists that yes I would show it to a class who was beginning to work in woodwork as it shows the way a log can be transformed into a beautiful table or chair.I do not think my family would benefit or be interested in the film.I don't think it changed the way i work in my studio.I was impressed by the quality of the final inlaid decoration of the table and I will take away that woodworking is a beautiful artist process.
CELEBRATION Episode
55:06 Aired: 12/11/15" Rating: NR Discover the
role craft plays in our winter holiday traditions, rituals, and festivities.
Featuring lion dancers and float builders for San Francisco’s acclaimed Chinese
New Year Parade, artists in Michigan making ceramics for the holidays at
Pewabic (Detroit) and Motawi Tile works
(Ann Arbor), Kwanzaa celebrations with artists in Chicago and Oakland, and
Christmas card making with Yoshiko Yamamoto." This video is about The Chinese
New Year’s but begins with the making of a beautiful printed Christmas card.This is a beautiful movie, the costumes the parade are so beautifully made.The inside details to how the costumes of the lions are made is amazing.This is a movie to show your class and your family.The lion dancer and artist shows us how he fixes the broken costume with bamboo and tape it is 20 years old and he is fixing it.The demonstration of the painting of the lioness and the blending of the colors is beautifully explained.The artists discusses, for example why they use green to paint the nose as it stands for benevolence and he says what an honor it is to be passed this responsibility.I don't think this changed the way I work in my studio but it was a beautiful video with wonderful lively colors.
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