Art History 691E - S-Craft and Design in Japan

Now that our world is increasingly virtual, what is the significance of material objects? How has the history of craft in Japan come to shape our current understanding of what Yanagi S'etsu rhapsodized as the "beauty of everyday things"? This course examines the history of artisans and designers in Japan in order to analyze the meaning of materiality, craftsmanship and skill, technique and applied knowledge, and our human relationship with things. In order to develop our material intelligence, we will study historical and contemporary objects - textiles, ceramic, paper, iron, wood, lacquer, and bamboo - from multiple perspectives, from raw materials, technique, lineages and workshops, to their contemporary legacies. Class sessions combine theory with practice: we read and contextualize the major theorists of craft and design in the twentieth century, and we will visit artisans throughout the Pioneer Valley to view their adaptation of Japanese techniques today. Assignments on the biographies of objects emphasize practical critical thinking and writing skills in curating, interpretation, and design.