This paper looks upon monsters as a medium; how concentration of fear can result in the demonisation of individuals. It explores how the use of craft, with a focus on stop motion animation, can be used as a tool to build empathy and help to heal fragmentations of society. Working with contemporary mythologies, crafted techniques are metaphorically related to the fragility of societal structures and collective narratives. Hand crafting references relics of consumer culture and explores variable autonomies over personal narrative, investigating imbalances of power.

Abstract

Modus Operandi is an attempt to conceptualize and materialize the intriguing difference between owning an object and owning your own identity. To be mirrored by a physical object, something with a tangible presence, when your identity feels slippery and volatile. The work is approached by mixing contemporary and historical symbols and ornaments to convey a sense of how our heritage affects the present and the eclectic mix that constitutes a human being.

This project is based on the creation of a modular system for making a candlestick, which will tell your personal history – both past, present and future. A modular object as an invitation to introspection. A domestic candlestick to mirror yourself, in your own home, to create a link between your inner self and the rest of the world. Traditional materials, such as bronze and brass are used to make the candlestick. Beyond this contemporary or somehow misplaced symbols and techniques are incorporated, in order to create tension between tradition and contemporary identity markers. Fueled by the inspiration from the alchemical holistic view of the world and using symbols one can view the candlestick as one’s own spiritual alchemical lab to conduct the Magnum opus.

An emergency is a speeded-up emergence, a state of change that accelerates beyond the control of the system in which it takes place and results in either death or necessary development, for an establishment of a new rhythm.

This work is an investigation on the limits and possibilities of contemporary corpus practices. My aim for it is to be reflective of my own ambivalence towards the field in which my silversmithing practice is situated, and to promote the urgency of collaborative craft, in traditional as well as contemporary contexts.

This investigation has resulted in the collaborative corpus project Poetic Justice, together with Klara Brydewall Sandquist, promoting two separate feminist agendas, in order to elevate them both and underline their entanglement. One being to manifest and justify women’s anger, and the other to oppose the cult of the individual genius and suggest alternate possibilities in relation to historical corpus in the contemporary field of craft. It is also a way for us to highlight the urgency of supporting, elevating and celebrating each other’s practices and purposes, through a closely intertwined way of working that investigates where objects begin and end, in space as well as in time.

In January 2013, a three-year project, ‘Meetings with Memories’ (in Swedish: Möten med minnen), was launched in Swedish museums with guided tours for dementia-afflicted audiences. The project involved altogether 88 Swedish museums and was headed by the Alzheimer Foundation (Alzheimerfonden). Many Swedish art museums were part of the project, with the purpose that the art educational situations would create participation and dialogue with a group of people usually absent from the museums. Art in particular is regarded as a possible therapeutic rehabilitation for people with neurodegenerative diseases, where dialogue and making of art enhance cognitive abilities and quality of life. The therapeutic promise within art pedagogy is part of the larger context of the art educational situations we have studied. In this chapter, the aim is to explore how these situations are done and how participation can be made and interpreted in relation to the target group, people with dementia. We focus on the participation in terms of the meaning making, dialogical processes of the art educational practice of the project ‘Meeting with Memories'.

Now and then other people’s comments and/or behaviour reminds me that I look different and that my external features are connected to something beyond my Swedish identity. My black hair, dark brown eyes and my brownish skin color talk about something else. My appearance is connected to an identity, cultural identity and a country I have little knowledge of and a language I do not master. But still the way I look is a part of my heritage, a part of who I am and a part of me which I am proud of. It makes me wonder what actually makes up an identity and the power we all possess in deciding what or who another person is based on appearance. What do we become in the eyes of the beholder?

Personal experiences from being Swedish, and adopted from another country, becomes the starting point for my investigation where the color of the skin leads to questions about norms, categorisations and the power of labelling another person. Living in the western world, my skin color automatically place me outside the norm. In a way that amazes me, that a single color can determine so much.

As a jeweller maker in this degree project I make brooches. I use them as a method and as tools to both investigate the relationship between personal and social identity and to shed light on how structures in society and other peoples gazes push us into categories consciously and unconsciously. I use my objects as conversations pieces to reflect on history, present and future, from my perspective. There is always a beginning, but it is  in the middle of the process it all comes alive. This is where I explore material, techniques and methods and where the brooches are born. They all have a history and part of it is public. At first sight you see the surface. But the brooches are like our bodies, they also have an inside/backside which creates an intimate relationship with the wearer. The brooches are more than ornamented pins, I want them to raise awareness of diversity, different perspectives, care and their ability to communicate as they move through various places attached in different ways to the body.

My degree project, Who I am and who you see, touches upon questions and emotions about belonging, inclusion and exclusion and the state of being in-between. What makes up an identity? What different parts make up a whole? Which layers are added and which are peeled off? All these questions triggers my curiosity and search for more knowledge about the human being and being human.

 In this paper I look at my practice and master project through a broader lens – tying it with theoretical concepts in particular that of Rosi Braidotti`s book Metamorphoses becoming woman-animal-insect. I show how my practical and theoretical dimensions meet through the mediums and narratives I work with. Performance and ritual centralize the practice whilst crafted objects and residue is significant in the process using the materials of wood, textile and clay. I have this year introduced gold as embodied practice by eating it- I mention alchemy in that respect as an inward essence. Metaplasm is the title of the master project incorporating the fleshy and linguistic signifier coined by Donna Harraway in The  Companion Species Manifesto, in 2016, as my project unfold into text, performance and crafted sculptures. 

I’m not a girl, not yet a woman, but I do have popular sensibilities.

Pop music plucks ideas and symbols from where ever it pleases to create a new narrative. So do I. Reflecting on how I see women and how the gaze of others affects this. By mapping my magpie like collection of images, songs, paintings and films I tell the story of my girl gang. My ceramic sculptures are a physical manifestation of my research into different ways of looking at girls.

Abstract.

What is it that I want to do and where does my practice fit in? In the beginning of this project I was not only confused about what I wanted to do I was also a bit lost in life. I saw the opportunity to work around the therapeutic aspects of making.

For me making has always been a way towards fulfillment, often creations come along in the moment and the pleasure is sudden. Then I quickly move along, looking for new kicks.

I have been struggling with seeing my own work and reflecting on its qualities, not trusting the result of my intuitive process.

At tension.

The first sketches I was working on were small wax figures, they worked like a journal sort of. I would shape it from my mood or thoughts that day. I moved on to casting these objects and the quality of pewter would weigh them down, there was a connection with these small heavy bodies and my own. But their weight was not enough, there had to be more force than gravity holding them back. 

Abstract

I want to talk about tactile experiences, words that extend beyond touch. A full-body experience of space that begins with the senses, creating a collective understanding when everything is combined. We step in unbeknownst, activating our senses through the shapes and textures that enthral us. With our eyes, we access the dynamic of the room. 

The foundation of my work is texture, so I explore the surface through it and textile is my chosen material because it allows me to do just that. By distorting, adding and pulling apart I can always get a new experience of it. In this project I work with three-dimensional patterns on the surface of the textile, and with subtle changes in volume I try to capture the light that falls on it and emphasis the texture to make the experience of it even richer.

This paper explores how craft in general, and the tradition of machine knitting in particular, can act as support and an alternative method within healing processes connected to stress and burn-out. The paper uses creative writing and an intimate approach to reach for and highlight metaphors and epiphanies within the making of craft, discussed from micro and macro perspectives. The search for the garden of fiber delights includes discussions and reflections about the artistic practice in relation to thinkers as sociologists Bruno Latour and the actor-network theory, and Hartmut Rosa, and his theory about an accelerating society and the need for resonance. Some of the artists referenced in the paper are Hilma af Klint, Yayoi Kusama and Niki de Saint Phalle. The main wonder of this project and paper is: what will happen when I as an artist start to respond to the seed of resonance within, and not follow the norms and expectations emerged by capitalism causing stress? How can this knowledge be applied in the meeting with other people in need of healing and rest?

This body of work investigates the contradictory aspects of human connections, which can serve as sources of solace as well as sources of sorrow. It particularly focuses on the dynamics of toxic relationships, highlighting how the allure of intense love is often intertwined with the potential for significant emotional distress.

The purpose of this exploration is to show in my installation the dichotomy between deep affection and detrimental dependency, how profound emotions can lead to both self-discovery and self-destruction. The reflection is rooted in the examination of the fine line that exists between passionate attachment and harmful reliance. 

This endeavor is not just a scholarly investigation but also a personal journey into the depths of human desire and its implications. By navigating this research through the lens of art, the objective is to contribute to the broader dialogue on the nature of emotional bonds and their impact on individuals.

 The exploration presented here seeks to offer insights into the enriching yet destructive facets of love, inviting viewers and readers alike to reflect on their own experiences and perceptions of romantic relationships. Through this artistic inquiry, the intention is to illuminate the multifaceted experiences of love, drawing attention to the intricate balance between its empowering and detrimental effects on the human spirit.

Jag definierar mig som mode - och textildesigner och som aktivist. Som examensprojekt har jag designat en vegansk modekollektion där jag har använt mig av tyger som jag målat och färgat själv. Jag lyfter hantverket i en modekontext och vill visa styrkan i det handgjorda. Att skapa veganskt mode betyder att jag inte använder mig av djurs kroppar, hud eller päls. Jag avstår alltså helt från att använda skinn, siden, ull, päls, dun och fjädrar. Jag vill visa att det går att skapa mode utan att utnyttja och döda djur i processen. Kollektionen presenteras dels som en konceptuell konstfilm men också i form av modefoton. Jag ser uppsatsen som ett sätt att upplysa, utbilda och skapa debatt kring vilka djur vi äter och vilka vi bär på kroppen. Uppsatsen är också en del av gestaltningen. Konstfilmen är inspirerad av surrealism och är en utopi och dystopi på samma gång, med flera världar i en. Den är ett experiment i hur en kan kombinera mode, koncept, konst och djurrättsaktivism i ett och samma projekt. 

I have made an investigation in how I can encourage curiosity in textiles with a specific interest in its structures. I have found that repetition is one efficient way to make a separate building element disappear into its own mass and instead be viewed as a surface. I researched how different surfaces are created by experiment with materials and techniques and looked into the big role tactility plays when curiosity in textiles are created but as well realized that a haptic experience can be reached not only with skin but through the eyes.

The experiments and elaborations I made took my ideas beyond my starting point and further than I first could imagine. I explored and questioned hierarchies and values of materials by the way I used and combined them. By doing so I realized and discussed the dilemma of being positive to the idea of letting people experience my work through touching and the issue with sustainability, duration and demolishing the patterns while doing so. 

Through this paper I aimed to find a definition for what fiber art can be today. I didn´t find one or totally uniform answer but it seems to me that it´s a movement that stretches over diverse material fields and has an underlying power to push boundaries and traditions and break free from classifications.

I am part of and dependent on a bigger unit – humanity. I am one of the small parts that build up this organism. Being human is an identity that I cannot choose, sometimes it is heavy to carry this role but it is also a support – and necessary for my survival.

–

My text describes some of the experiments I have performed, a few pages from my journal and some thoughts on which I base my making. My method has been an ethnographic exploration with myself and some objects I created as tools for researching my own body in relation to public spaces, using similar methods as Gösta Arvastson and Billy Ehn describe in their book Etnografiska Observationer (Arvastson & Ehn 2009). 

I noticed unconscious synchronised patterns of movement performed by people inhabiting public spaces. After some experiments I realized that I feel insecure when I break those patterns. It became clear to me that my body is programmed to, and does its best, to fit into certain norms. However, sometimes I am incapable or don´t want to conform.

I'll make a big, yellow tapestry.

In the project I'll examine textures and surfaces in a monumental tapestry, and the translation of an image into a tapestry through reliefs and materials.

I'm a tapestry weaver, and in this project I'll work with structures and the sculptural aspect of weaving in an abstract tapestry. My aim for my textiles in general is to give the viewer a sublime feeling when they meet my work.

In an extended scene this is a textile version of a photography. When I look at something for a long amount of time, it'll turn into structures, then the image itself is not so important anymore but the memory of it. This is a tapestry where I have turned this memories into structures in textile material.

This project is a research in many various woven structures and techniques, which is arranged intuitively. It doesn't have a specific message but to re-create the sense of many and complex feelings. The different structures portrays the process of memories, like solitude, fears, tenderness, abstraction/imagination and concrete reality. This tapestry is the result of many experiments with the form and structure.

I Fångsten och fången har två av mina främsta intressen förenats: handarbete och skärmaktiviteter. Jag har lekt med tanken om skärmen som en samtidens nyckel till ett tanklöst tillstånd människan på olika sätt alltid eftersträvat. Med hjälp av textila metoder har jag materialiserat och manipulerat (upcyclat) digitala filer för att understryka likheter och skiljaktigheter mellan det digitala och det textila. Arbetet har resulterat i ett undersökande av hur ett nöje kan utvecklas till en fångenskap.

By reflecting upon the works I make and my thoughts surrounding them I've been looking to develop my way of understanding and working with art. By looking at both creative and emotional aspects underlying the artistic process I try to understand what impact they have on both the art and the artist.

Through my working process and by writing about my thoughts and emotions during this project I come to the conclusion that this is what can be referred to as a cathartic experience for me.

Mitt examensarbete tar avstamp i hur historia och historieskrivning alltid ärspekulativ. I det skrivna arbetet har jag undersökt hur avbildningar och teorierkring förhistorisk tid ser ut, och diskuterar tendensen att fylla historiskainformationsgap med antaganden som på olika sätt speglar och förstärker samtidanormer.

“Urban Memories” encapsulates a personal journey in Berlin. This master's thesis embarks on a captivating exploration of the fluidity of home and the passage of time in the vibrant urban landscape. Spanning the years 2007 to 2022, the streets of the city serve as both canvas and storyteller, capturing the transient nature of homes and the fragility of moments. Through the innovative medium of embroidery, fragments from a personal diary in 2012 intertwine with literary insights from German authors in different eras such as Christa Wolf, Dörte Hansen, and Jenny Erpenbeck.

The narrative unfolds across four chapters, each delving into different facets of the author's experiences and reflections. Looking at historical aspect like the reconstruction of Berlin after World War II and the symbolic significance of disappearing houses, the thesis explores the profound connection between memory and location. It navigates through temporal contexts, examining societal attitudes and the evolving spirit of Berlin across different eras.

The thesis also dives into the art of crafting stories, drawing parallels between textile craft and comic drawing. In the final chapter, it explores street art's role in shaping public spaces, highlighting the transformative potential of embroidery. As banners flutter on construction site fences and embroidered memories find a place in the public realm, the thesis invites contemplation on the intersections of art, memory, and the evolving identity of the city. 

Through this interdisciplinary exploration, the thesis weaves a tapestry that not only captures personal experiences but reflects the collective memory of a dynamic and ever-changing city.

Better than nature is an exploration originating in virtual spaces and the speculative objects inhabiting them. It is about the inherent (un)balance between humans and nature’s materials, and how we interact with processed versions of organic constituents. My physical work is composed of handcrafted components and readymades, all rendering different aspects of a forest and consequently they create a simulated utopia of things.

Through the process of depicting symbols derived from the realm of a forest this project’s aim has been to approach nature landscapes with the intent of highlighting my disconnectedness from nature and its materials.

With this paper my target has been to contextualize my artistic practice from discussions based on my practical and theoretical research; A blend of lived experiences, investigations of the characteristics found in terrestrial materials, organic and compassionate surfaces and the function of ornament in our time.

 My subject is invisibility.

In order to thoroughly investigate the subject, I applied the concept of invisibility inside, outside and without the physical body. I have investigated what has to give way to that which comes into focus, and the shift in value that occurs when something is highlighted or added at the expense of something else. To avoid seeing something is to prevent it from taking up space and consequently drain it of value. We reduce the uncomfortable by placing it, consciously or unconsciously, in the background hoping it will disappear. The act of avoidence gives a false illusion that the situation could be reduced to a point of vanishing. As if that which has not been seen, never happened.

Not being able to acknowledge the uncomfortable could be the result of not wanting to recognize difficult aspects concerning oneself, such as shame or guilt. The fear of having to identify with feelings that negatively charged makes the reflection unbearable to meet. An uncomfortable situation can therefore appear so piercing to the eye that it becomes almost invisible.

Through my process, I chose to use psychoanalysis and phenomenology as different tools of perspective to try to get closer to what, how and why we see what we see. This includes how we for instance handle the idea of someone or something when the physical body is absent. How we, through traces of human behavior relate to an object by the motion and technique that shaped it. Or the idea of being able to relate to the idea of an object, and thus "actualize" things that are not really there. I also investigated the shaping of one's identity. How we sometimes construct our bodies, stretch and transform ourselves to be seen. Where the qualities that others recognize and appreciate become the very thing you begin to visualize, maybe even identify with. A place of transformation, where bodies can take the shape of others, or take the shape of the contact with others. But also a place of reduction, a struggle between bodies where one is reduced to feed the other. I have also investigated how ignored bodies have to relate to the ruling norms, surroundings and laws created by others, and how the passive room can become an active component that reveals you as out of place.

For me "invisibility" speaks a destructive and fragile language. I am therefore using materials such as glass, porcelain and lead in my work consisting of corpus objects. I define corpus as body related objects that find their context in the eating, and through eating it incorporates the table and craft tradition of silversmithing. As a body related object, corpus becomes a “substitute body” or "a body in my place." Corpus can squeeze, lift, divide, carry, devour, hold, leak, hide and preserve. Bodily functions transferred into another body. I even believe it possible to transfer part of ones identity into corpus. I decided to let the context of focus shift from the table to the relationship corpus has to the human body. Since corpus, unlike for instance jewellery, has no acknowledged place on the human body, it instead finds itself relating to human behavior. Because of the space between user and object, it’s another kind of intimate relation that also connects to the movement of the human and the space in which she moves. My creative work is therefore explained by other bodies / body parts closely linked to our everyday lives.

Working with the definition of corpus as a substitute body, I have chosen the concept of "destructive prostheses" to interpret my view of invisibility.

A recent discovery made at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, demostrated in a scientific setting that the human mind has a neural mechanism actively making the self avoiding thoughts about its own mortality. Curiously enough the research further suggests that an awerness of the selt's death could potently lead to a more meaningful life.There is an inclination around being sick and weak, holding back how we approach end of life care and our inherent mortality; which in return affects presence and expectations regarding our lives. If death and transience were to be viewed as natural occurences, mirroring how we view horticulture and gardens, this could ease anxiety and phobia regarding the end.In my paper I am sharing research by Athul Gawande and Elisabeth Kubler-Ross regarding death-phobia and end of life care. As suggested in some of the literature, death-phobia may occur due to anxiety over not living a meaningful life and I am using Lev Tolstoy's fictional book The Death of Ivan Ilyich to evoke thought about mortality and what a meaningful life could be compromised of.In my conclusion and through my sculpture of enlarged flowers made out of cast glass and high fired stoneware; I modestly argue that love and presence can provide meaning and solace, for conquering  death-phobic acculturation. That by acknowledging that transience is a forum for beauty one could enhance the magic of the mundane. 

Our value of people and craft are linked. With the rise of fast production 

industry, and the lack of transparency when it comes to a role of consumption, we have become detached from making processes. This detachment is 

detrimental to our understanding and empathy for other people but also to ourselves. It perpetuates disposable ways of living and keeps us reliant on 

disposable consumption. 

Craft is an undervalued tool which can be utilised in historical learning as well 

as anthropological study today. In doing so, we are able to understand more about humanity by inspecting craft through the ‘three facet’ lens. We are then 

able to develop empathy for other people and other cultures, through the non- tangible space created during the process of crafting. For those who do craft, 

this recognition is empowering and enables cultural ownership. It also empowers us as individuals, when we are able to produce something ourselves 

and physically see the learning process. 

This means we can recognise who has made our objects, and appreciate the 

time, skill and commitment which goes into the undertaking. This encourages us to appreciate objects, to consider our ways of living and move away from 

disposable consumption. 

Through a comparison of the relationship to craft that is held in Peru, with that 

of the relationship we hold in the UK, and broadened by my experience living and teaching in Sweden, I conclude that industrialisation and colonialism has a 

role to play, but ultimately, the power and potential of craft, is physically in our own hands. 

I propose using the ‘three facets’; Utility, Aesthetics and Connectivity, as a way to break down the information documented through craft, to analyse, at a deep 

level, what can be gained from craft appreciation. 

At best anger is problematic for most of us and especially an issue for women (and other discriminated groups). True a collaborative craft project focusing on silver objects, I investigate female anger and how it is perceived. Also, how the prevention of acting it out silences our need for change. I use the aesthetics of magic to reference the judging of women acting outside of set rules, and also as a tactic of female liberation.

My degree project is an exploration of fragility and impermanence in objects. An attempt to find a language for it and to put words on a bodily feeling. Where objects are given space through an installation. Like an extension, or mirroring, of my body or your body. I’m thinking about the complexity of human, trapped emotions and fragments, like puzzle pieces or layers of memories. I’m thinking about vulnerability and tears, unredeemed tears. When the first tear rolls down the cheek there is no stop. A bridge is created between an inner world and the outer when sensitive experiences are allowed to come to the surface and be released.

In this paper I investigate the emotional benefits of textile crafts in general and embroidery in particular. How can embroidery be used to express love and care for others? Can embroidery be used as a therapeutic tool? Using my own embroidery project Flower heart as a starting point, my research goes into craft as a manifestation of love, from handmade gifts in the 18th century to contemporary art, and crafting as a therapeutic medium, from rehabilitation of soldiers after WW1, to a recent study on 92 Finnish craft makers. My material is based on research on (textile) craft, research on occupational therapy, interviews with contemporary embroidery artists Michelle Kingdom, Alexandra Drenth and Willemien de Villiers, as well as my own experiences with the project Flower heart. My conclusions are that there are many emotional benefits to textile crafts. Our crafts can comfort us from sorrow, help us deal with pain, both physical and mental, make us connect to one another, provide meaning to our lives, anchor us in the present and live on long after we are gone as a manifestation of our lives and our love.

Mest av allt önskar jag att det var mitt namn som stod på dörren. Då skulle jag måla väggarna randiga och köpa husdjur. Känna mig fri. Men jag orkar inte vänta 10,5 år i bostadskön, så nu skapar jag min egna bostads-utopi. Jag har flyttat fjorton gånger och det räcker nu.

I mitt examensprojekt använder jag färg och textilt konsthantverk för att ifrågasätta Stockholms bostadspolitik. 

In this writing, I guide the reader through different aspects of the emotional understanding and experiencing of art. The general purpose of the research is to argue that aesthetic experience is intertwined with various emotional stages. I attempt to decipher the meaning of an imagined or recreated nature (landscape and creatures) by other artists and then focus on my own realizations in creating it. To undertake this challenge, I aspire to understand the unconscious emotional connections of nature to humans, as well as the related notions of the uncanny and the corporeal. The methodology of the research is partly by finding evidence from the discipline of psychology and phenomenology, partly introspective and also process-based (technical) by focusing on the discipline of glass making. The paper’s main conclusions are embedded in my final work, which serve as an illustration as well as qualities of a craft-based research.

Utförande, realiserandet av en omformad tanke, en viktig del av ett processuellt arbete som handlar om något som allting egentligen balanserar på, det handlar om bearbetning i stunden och en lekfullhet som är starkt bunden till känslan som får mig att påbörja något, fortsätta med något. En strävan att uppnå ett visuellt bevis på vad jag har varit med om, så att jag kanske kan få se på dig vid ett senare skede och komma ihåg hur det var när vi hade vår tid tillsammans, och se framåt mot en tid med någon annan som liknar dig, där momentets rörelse ändrar tempot på utförandet och påverkar känslan i verket jag slutligen har framför mig. En viktig, om inte den viktigaste aspekten som påverkar det som händer i tankarna, är hastigheten som spelar en viktig roll då den kan orsaka en omedelbar och inte sällan impulsiv förändring eller ha ett tempo som är mer resonerande och mindre impulsivt och mer betänkt; jag tycker om när jag låter det pendla mellan det betänkta och impulsiva. Det skapar en behaglig rytm i skapandet. Tänk dig att åka på motorvägen men sen byta till en landsväg där du bara får köra trettio, vägarna upplevs helt olika, vilket sätter tonen, avgör rytmen, rörelsen. Att repetera de olika momenten på varierande vägar, underlag. I det finner jag att känslospår kan visa sig, när jag tar ett steg tillbaka, ser på det jag har gjort. Dom olika stegen i en process slutar all- tid med sorgen för mig, då vet jag att tiden är inne, att det är klart och det är dags att ta distans, för att få perspektiv på vad som har skett. Att låta akten formuleras i ord, någon gång.

My work is about the feeling of standing in between two worlds of my cultural heritage. To feel connected but at the same time not connected to them. The feeling of missing out in one of my cultural heritage because of the language that I do not fully speak. I use a traditional craft from that side to build a bridge to fill the gap. It is about combining my heritages and the connection/disconnection and fuse them together into one as I am a person of two cultures. By not putting myself in a box that the society wants me to fit in to, I challenge that norm also in my work. I transformed the traditional craft placed in a room of a house to become jewelry. The wearer is allowed to choose what kind of jewelery it is and it can be placed on many different ways. My work is about investigate the meeting of craft on a body, and body in a craft. Its about to invite the Thai practice to my Swedish practice and vice versa and fuse them together. 

Abstract

This report accompanies my Master project in the fields of ceramic and glass, the CRAFT! MA program, Konstfack. In this project I fuse my industrial design toolbox and my current engagement in open-source 3D printing technology with my ceramic and glass craft practice. The first pair brings in notions of innovation and an active approach towards technological change, while the second carry ancient craft methods and knowledge. I develop and make 3D printers for clay and use them as an experimental ceramic work method. In this research based practice I use ceramics as the material for 3D printed glassblowing moulds. This act represents a link between ceramic and glass crafts, one that was known to the ancient Roman craftsmen. 

A view on craft and digital innovation

Although the computer is in use for several decades now, in most crafts it is still used mainly as an assistive device and we seem not to look at it as a professional tool; as a craft tool. New methods of making are out there. We need to have two toolboxes now: Our traditional one and our new digital one. We can already CAD our concepts, control CNC machines and build 3D-printers customised to our growing new practice. We share our new knowledge on open-source platforms, teach each other through the web (and around the globe) how to apply digital techniques to our craft. We now have the opportunity to join hands with the movements of democratisation of contemporary manufacturing techniques and reinvent our practice, our tools and what new-craft could be.

A self portrait. With an auto ethnographic study method and my own craft; glass making I examine tacit knowledge. A portrait not only of me, but also the human in need of control. An invite to look at our society and see how the measurable is in charge and positivistic science have the leading position in knowledge production. 

I aim for the subjective, the knowledge stored in my body which is passed on through making, in to the glass to be kept.

Jag har skapat ett verktyg för att kunna synliggöra mina egna tysta kunskaper. Under 120 timmar blåste jag en och samma form och sparade allt i en kronologisk ordning. Formen eller glaset blev ett verktyg genom vilket jag sedan kunde studera min kroppsliga inlärning utifrån. Jag ser mitt verk som en processberättande dagbok. Ett utsnitt av ett arbete ur vilket jag sedan kan betrakta min kroppsliga inlärning ur ett nytt perspektiv; genom glaset.

Ett undersökande arbete om subtilitet, fotografi, text och konsthantverk. Om tydlighet, otydlighet, att upplösa och omforma.

I create to heal wounds – personal, emotional and social. I create to break the patriarchy  and normative systems that excludes people of different genders, sexualities, colours and bodies. I make human wear – fashion for bodies of all sizes and genders. I want people to be comfortable with themselves and their bodies and that is the goal with my brand EKLUND EKLUND. 

The fashion world today consists of “his and hers”, size zero, “wear and tear” and sexist ads, all of which maintains heteronormativity and sick beauty ideals. Clothes are made for “women” and “men” in size XS-XL, leaving everyone outside of those norms excluded. 

I will research the gender - and beauty norms in western media and fashion and how it affects people and their self esteem. How can I make fashion inclusive and socially sustainable? Can I make clothes that fits all? 

I’m gonna make a One Size Queer Couture Collection to include different expressions and bodies to change the norms of gender and size. One Size that adjusts to different shapes and sizes, Queer as in genderless for everyone and Couture as in hand-made fashion. 

I will achieve this through experimental pattern making, non-normative design and a presentation of the clothes with and for people confronting norms of gender, sexualities, beauty and colour.  

The increasing ecological impact of textiles and textile overproduction creates both local and global environmental concerns. Through the theoretical framework of speculative realism and the concept of alienation this paper investigates how textile art can be used to discuss the dark emotions connected to climate change. The project uses a method of material exploration to find new life to waste material from textile industry in Sweden. Through the zombie metaphor the life and death of waste is discussed. The paper finds that by giving material new life, creating zombie weaves; the darkness within the topic can be reached. The tactile qualities of the work bridges to counteract the alienation created from the lack of insight and understanding of material values. The project finds that embracing the darkness and getting to know the monster can make room for new solutions to the ecological crisis.