Traditional Craft Techniques in Contemporary Art: Part 1

Traditional craft techniques tell a story of heritage and cultural identity that have passed from generation to generation, and been shared along ancient trade routes. The skills and knowledge tell stories of the ancestors while showcasing human ingenuity and creativity.

So, what happens when these traditional crafts weave their way into contemporary art? Is it disrespectful to reappropriate them or is it a way to pay homage and reignite a new respect for the ancient techniques? 

Here are some contemporary artists that have shaped their practices around ancient methods. 

Barbaric Splendour, by Grayson Perry

1. Ceramics

Archaeologists have discovered ceramic works that date back to the Paleolithic period, around 29,000–25,000 BC (before the ice age!). These figurative objects, such as the figurine that was given the name Venus of Dolni Vestonice were found in what is now the Czech Republic. Clay fired vessels have also been found in the Xianrendong cave in China, which date back around 20,000 years. So, what have contemporary artists added to the crafts history? Exploring themes of identity and social class, British artist Grayson Perry, creates ceramic vases that offer a provocative commentary on contemporary culture. Perry works with pottery because it’s humble. Each vase is created by using a coil technique. The method uses long, rope-like pieces of clay which are rolled out and stacked one on top of another. The coils can be joined and smoothed together to give a seamless finish. On the surface of the vases Perry uses a range of traditional and modern techniques such as embossing, relief sculptures, using photographic transfers, glazing, incision, layering colored slips, carving and stenciling.

Chinese artist Lei Xue, creates sculptures in the form of discarded, crushed, drink cans using a traditional ceramics technique from the Ming Dynasty. The white porcelain pieces are painted with intricate blue motifs. Lei Xue’s version of ‘cans’ are not mass produced in a factory, nor quickly consumed. Each one was sculpted and hand painted – in direct contrast to the relationship we have to objects such as the familiar single use cans they replicate in form. 

Sapphire Star by Dale Chihuly, 2010

2. Glasswork

The earliest confirmed examples of glassblowing were found in Jerusalem and date back to 50–40 BCE. The ancient craft was then spread through the Roman Empire and beyond. However, other forms of glassworking are much older. 

Dale Chihuly is an American artist who has created dramatic, glass-blown sculptures for public spaces, museums, botanical gardens and other sites all over the world. Some of his best-known installations include the chandelier in the entrance of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the Lime Green Icicle Tower at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Using molten glass, often with infused colored glass fibers, the forms are created by being rolled, molded and shaped using gravity and centrifugal force. Many smaller forms are created by blowing the glass. The suspended fantastical organic looking forms play with the light and create an ethereal atmosphere that is constantly changing and evolving at different times of the day. His works are enormous, striking, and incredibly fragile.

Brian Clarke: The Art of Light

British artist Brian Clarke was known for combining traditional glass-blowing with modern cutting and layering technology to create stained glass windows and screens. His work explores themes of mortality, light, faith, and the intersection of art and architecture. He believed that stained glass had the potential to play on light and create a sense of euphoria, even spiritual transcendence in the viewer. Over his lifetime he collaborated with renowned architects to place his glass works in both modern buildings and historic sites. Some notable projects include: a 46ft (14m) stained glass cone pavilion in Stamford, Connecticut; and two suites of stained-glass windows for Sweden’s thirteenth-century Linköping Cathedral.

Wang Dongling at the V&A in London

3. Calligraphy

The earliest surviving Chinese script dates back over 3000 years to the Shang dynasty (circa 1600-1100 BCE). Calligraphy in the Middle East was developed in ancient Persia around the 6th century BCE, and was further advanced with the advent of Islam. Calligraphy, through ink and a brush, was not just considered as writing but an outward expression of an artist’s inner psychology. Through movement, rhythm and flow, the artist could communicate with the viewers, not only to those that were able to read the characters.  

Chinese artist Wang Dongling channels two aspects of ancient calligraphy in his art practice – its creation through performance, and its gestural abstraction. His performances embrace monument-scale calligraphy while he presents the intricate connection between brush, ink and the body. Over the course of 60 years he has redefined what Chinese calligraphy represents through experimentations with performance, scale, and materiality.