[Redefining Craft] New Media & Eric Clausen, Bay Area Blacksmith

Linked below is a pleasant, yet nostalgic, article and slideshow that features Oakland, CA based craftsperson Eric Clausen, who is producing exceptional work in the decorative/functional (and traditional) genre of blacksmithing.

Surprisingly, what strikes me about this piece is not at all what one would initially anticipate from a guy like me that regularly writes about craft issues (but maybe not so out of the ordinary for a self-proclaimed provocateur). After viewing the slideshow that is associated with this article, I am compelled to comment.

I think that it is a shame that we should have to rely upon newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle to produce quality multimedia presentations about craft. Why aren’t the craft magazines doing this, too?

In the slideshow, Clausen states, “…people really appreciate things that are done by hand, especially in this age of computers and electronics. There’s nothing like a real live object that you can admire and hold and look at, it’s not (a) computer generated digital thing… it’s a real thing.” While I agree with this somewhat romantic perspective, I do not share the view of the luddite that would likely suggest that technology is something that we should be opposed to or at the very least, approach with a stiff-armed skepticism.

I find it especially disappointing when craftspeople discount the importance of learning how to use technology to their advantage, especially when it comes to promoting the values that they obviously care so much about. In my view, the slide presentation and the photos within the article are as equally well-crafted as the work that is featured.

For me, media is just another tool that can be used to support the very thing that it is often accused of unravelling. With this article and the associated slideshow with audio, the Chronicle has inadvertently demonstrated to us how far the field of craft is falling behind, as it unflinchingly and nostalgically clings to an era that we will never again revisit. Unless, of course, the world runs out of petroleum.

Link to the article on SFGATE.com

Link to the slideshow on SFGATE.com

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