'Hand Made' opened at Boijmans

Last night the exhibition ‘Hand Made‘ opened at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam. Marvellous !!!  The exhibition is very inspiring, and even more if you look with a makers’ eye to what craftsmen wrought over centuries.

There is a leaflet to take with you: “Ten Propositions about Crafts”  (Tien Stellingen over het Ambacht).

Proposition 9 reads ‘Craft and technology are not contradictory: 3d printing and laser cutting also require skill.’ ‘Ambacht en technologie zijn niet tegengesteld: ook 3d-printen en lasersnijden vereisen vakmanschap.’

I noticed not many exhibits that were crafted with modern digital fab tools: two 3D printed dresses bij Iris van Herpen and the Bavaria lasercut-inlay folding screen by Studio Job.

Does this imply that most craftsmen and artists are still on the steep side of the learning curve to acquire these skills? Or are these skills not yet translated it into a proper artistic handwriting? Fablabs offer tools to experiment. The rewards will be intricate forms that please the eye.