Glass Gateways

Craft can be described as an interaction and connection between a person and a tool; be it a pen, a blower's pipe or a computer. New digital tools bridge the gap between the digital and material world. This paper will discuss how research led teaching has opened up new avenues for students from non-tangible material based subjects to access traditional craft processes within the Glass Programme at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA). Firstly, introducing the digital technologies that are used by staff and students; showcasing examples of digitally handmade works that have been developed. The second part of the paper, will reflect upon how a synergy between teaching and technology has brought a diverse range of design students into the discipline, through the new course elective Digital Crafting in Glass (2016). This course introduces a broad cross-section of non-makers to glass through the gateway tools of digital technology. Geoffrey Mann leads the Glass Programme at ECA, his creative practice has been rooted in digital technology since early 2000, other staff include Dr Jessamy Kelly, Alan Horsley and Ingrid Phillips. A range of glass artefacts will be represented in this paper which demonstrate a mix of handcrafted techniques and digital processes focused through the long established material based disciplines of glass. All of the glass objects detailed in this paper have been made using digital technology in the processing. Digital however is not an all defining term for us, as artisans we feel that we are part of a Post digital movement as discussed by Jonathan Openshaw (2015) who openly discusses the changing role of digital technology: ‘Just as the microwave didn’t replace the kitchen, the 3D printer is looking set to play a supporting role in the design world’ (ibid).

The challenge of this paper is to discuss how as educators we can insert the digital within our making, teaching and writing. We see digital technologies breaking down and challenging the boundaries of our discipline, our world – the areas of glass art, craft and design are blurred; more people are working in the medium of glass than ever before. Our artisanal landscape is irrevocably changed, different, our ecology is post-digital. Works that once would have been sweated over to craft by hand or possibly given up on because they were to difficult make, can now be expedited digitally. A mix of practitioners, be they early stagers or late developers, are new to this digital making movement, speeded up by a wave of new or not so new technological innovations. Whereas, others, the established pioneers of this movement from the early days (Mann, 2000) - are more apprehensive, keenly aware of the digital and the pathways and pitfalls it creates. This mix, this juxtaposition of the staff and students is what is perhaps at the crux of this paper – what happens when our worlds collide and our paths merge; what and how are intersections created? It is about prowess, approach and a willingness to subvert what we encounter, to challenge the boundaries of our discipline and to explore and mark out new territories.

The second part of this paper will introduce the innovative teaching approaches employed which encourages students to explore traditional craft making techniques within the discipline of glass; through the application of accessible digital fabrication processes. Through the Digital Crafting in Glass elective students engage in practical glass workshops and Digital Fabrication Labs and participate in a lecture based Programme exploring the impact of new technologies within the context of craft in the age of the post-digital artisan. A series of practical studio workshops introduce students to new tools both digital and traditional. This hands on experience allows students to use new accessible tangible and intangible technologies as gateway tools to craft and the associated traditional processes of established material based disciplines. Research through design is a motivation to both of the speakers own independent research activities; this taught studio course was a pilot of how future research through design teaching could be utilized and put into practice to reinvigorate craft based disciplines. A selection of these student led projects and artefacts will be discussed to illustrate the outcomes of our teaching approach. In addition, a selection of staff research projects and glass artefacts will be showcased.

References:
Adamson, Glen. (2013) ‘The invention of Craft’, London: Bloomsbury, p.171.
Johnston, L. (2015) The Digital Handmade: Craftsmanship in the New Industrial Revolution. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd, p.7
Openshaw, J. (2015). Post-Digital Artisans: Craftsmanship with a New Aesthetic in Fashion, Art , Design and Architecture, London: Frame Publishers, pp.5-7
The Design Commission, Policy Connect (May 2014) Designing the Digital Economy, London, p.46