Customization is often the new capitalist/digital answer to this query—cell phone cases in millions of styles, shoes that are designed-to-order on a company’s website, etc. But such pat customization doesn’t often have the same compelling memories attached to it that craft connoisseurship does. “Special objects turned out to be those with special memories or associations, those that helped evoke a special feeling in their owners. . .. Special items all evoked stories.". This craft attribute—narratability, the ability to tell personal stories about partaking in a product—is one that both designers and composers should hold close.
One of the key differences in the craft process and mass production process is that the craft process at its essence allows for narratability and exclusivity which gives rise to a more individualized product. The closest way mass production can result in an object that feels like a crafted object is through mass customization. The application of computerization to mass production promises to unleash a new revolution comparable only to the industrial revolution. Mass production will be substantially replaced by niche, and even personalized production. This new mass craft production will combine the mechanization and efficiency of mass production with the individualized products characteristic of handcrafting. (Anderson, 2006) There are so many cognitive and emotional differences among people that make it almost impossible to address them through a single object. These individual differences are the details that make each person unique.
Objective
This project is a personal investigation on the ways that craftsmanship and the culture of self-making have bettered the quality of goods and products. This was of particular interest in respect to finding one’s personal identity and accommodating to each person’s individuality. By extracting the essence of craft processes and characteristics, this project aims to design ways that craft values can exist in the faster and more technology savvy society we live in. This will be aided by further research on mass customization and customization methods and processes.
