Craft classics
Craft classics are handmade objects that reflect their place and support a local economy of makers. They are often favoured as wedding presents which adorn a new home with a signature object of place. They are designed such that they cannot be mass manufactured and thus resist off-shoring. They are potential heirlooms.
Suoyi: RuCai Lyu’s rain cape and its ongoing tradition of protection - Shuai Shuo finds one of the few remaining makers of the palm fibre raincoat that has protected Chinese farmers for generations, but has now become a popular good luck charm.
The Svord Peasant Knife: Thanks to “Heavenly Blue Sky” - Bryan Baker recounts the day a Czech master arrived at his door and passed on the secrets that would enable him to develop the knife that is sold by hundreds of thousands around the world.
On joining the NFT art mania: Creative liberation or lotacracy - Abdullah M.I. Syed registers a classic Pakistani object as a non-fungible token (NFT) only to re-affirm its value as a real tangible object.
Sophie Moran ✿ The batter bowl - Sophie Moran dedicates her classic ceramic bowl to the memory of William Morris.
Wonderpants ✿ What our future might hold - Kathryn McAllister makes underwear in Castlemaine. She shares with Garland the experience of her successful community business.
The precious “ta leec” backpack from Co Tu village - We return to Vietnam to learn about a craft classic, the backpack of the Co Tu people known as ta leec which is considered a man's most precious jewellery.
The Hayman jug - The Hayman jug is a craft classic that comes from the Sydney workshop of Ben Edols and Kathy Elliott. We glimpse the making behind the iconic wedding present and discover its greatest fan who inspired it.
Celebrating the huipil – From past to present - Ehren Seeland reflects on collaborations with artisans in Oaxaca making the iconic garment which eventually became a wedding dress
Craft classic: The spurtle - Patrick Senior describes the making of the spurtle, a craft classic used for stirring porridge
Craft classic: Khao Tom Mud - Each year, the Thai craft organisation SACICT hosts the International Innovative Craft Fair in Bangkok. This is a wonderful destination for discovering the evolution of Thai craft. The Kanita coin purse inspired by the traditional Thai dessert is just one example of the new products emerging in Thailand from the love of its traditional culture.
Craft Classic: The Persian carpet - The Persian carpet is a one of the most popular heirloom objects present in the world today. We look at a workshop where they are made in Tabriz, Iran and look at how people today are sharing their lives with this wondrous rugs.
Craft classic: Jawun - We learn from Abe Muriata about the making of the “Jawun”, a bicornual basket, which is a handsome object made from cane found in the rainforest and revered icon of Australian material culture. We also hear from Brisbane architect Christina Waterson what it is like to live with a jawun.
The Kink - The Kink has become a craft classic. The continuing success of this oil bottle supports a micro-industry of glass-blowing. What are its origins? How is it made? Who uses it? In the first of a series, we discovery the mysterious origin of the kink.