Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Holland and I can't wait to start teaching you today.

Our lesson today is all about craft and understanding what it is and how it compares to other disciplines.

The outcome of the lesson is to be able to define what craft is and challenge traditional boundaries between craft and other disciplines, such as art.

Here are key words for today.

So we have craft, tools, materials, and functional.

We'll delve into these a little bit more and start exploring them as we go through the lesson.

Our lesson outline today, we have three sections.

We've got the first, which is defining craft, what is it? Then we start exploring this relationship between art and craft.

And then you'll start challenging the boundaries between these two disciplines and start creating and designing something that challenges it, which is super exciting.

Let's get started defining craft.

I'd like you to look at these two images and say whether you think that art, craft or design.

Hmm, yes, you're right, they're craft.

Crafts are skillfully designed, handmade objects and artefacts.

An artefact is an object that has historical or cultural significance.

So crafts are skillfully designed and they're made by hand.

Can you name any crafts used today? Have a think.

Let's see what our pupils say.

So Jun says pottery and ceramics.

Jacob says textiles, which includes things like embroidery, bead work, weaving and crochet.

Sewing and knitting would also come into this.

Laura says, glass blowing, candle and soap making, and Andeep says origami and paper crafts.

And I'm pleased he said origami because that's one of my favourites.

Quick check for understanding.

Which of these is not a craft? And when you think about this, I want you to think about the definition of craft being handmade as well as being skillfully designed.

A knitted scarf handmade with creativity and skill.

A piece of furniture crafted by hands from wood.

An ornament mass produced through a machine or a cross that has had been handmade and beautifully gilded.

Mass produced means lots and lots of them have been made.

And gilded is when you put gold on something, often gold leaf.

Pause the video and have a think.

Well done.

Should we have a look? Yes, well done.

It's an ornament.

It's mass produced.

So lots and lots and lots of them have been made and it's through a machine.

And that's a really important clue there that obviously we know that crafts are made by our hands.

So traditional crafts often require special tools and materials.

Here's a picture of a set of tools that can be used for craft.

I can see hammer, screwdriver, craft knife, pliers, what else can you see? And then also, materials.

We need tools and materials and these are an example of beautiful coloured threads.

Tools are physical items used to achieve a goal.

So if we think about an adult who wants to hang a picture up in their room, they would need the tools of a hammer and a picture hook or nail.

And though by hammering the nail or picture hook into the wall, it enables them to reach their goal of having a beautiful piece of artwork hanging on their wall.

And many artists, craft people and designers actually make or invent their own tools for a particular task.

Materials on the other hand are the resources that artists, craftspeople and designers use to create the work.

So a bowl might be made out of carved out of wood and the material would be wood.

A clay pot, and the material would be clay.

We'll select materials for their durability to ensure their work lasts.

Durability means that they want it to last for a long time, so they will select a material that doesn't wear away or break easily.

And this is quite unlike some of the art forms you may have seen, like ephemeral art, which is purposely made to be temporary, or performance art, which takes place in a certain time and space.

A quick check for understanding here and I'd like you to match the craft to its tools and materials.

So on the left hand side we have craft items, a dress, a clay pot, jewellery, and a woven basket.

And then on the right hand side we have tools and materials.

I'd like you to take your time and really think about what craft item matches the tools and materials? Is quite challenging, but I know you'll be great.

Pause the video.

Right, let's see how we got on.

So a dress.

A dress is of course, with a needle thread, fabric and scissors.

The needle is the tool that goes through the fabric that pulls the thread through the fabric.

A clay pot has a kiln, carving tools, clay and glaze.

So the clay, is the material that the clay pot is made from.

The glaze is almost like a paint that you might put on, carving tools to decorate.

And a kiln is a little like an oven that you bake and harden the clay in.

Jewellery, you have pliers to help bend the wire, wire cutters, beads and gemstones.

And then a woven basket.

You have the cane as upright and then you weave the bamboo strips in between.

Well done.

That was quite a challenge, but I think you did brilliantly.

Our first task, we have two pupils here discussing something.

And this is what I would like you to discuss in class or if you are working at home, or on your own to really have a good think about and perhaps make note if that's helpful.

I'd like you to discuss the crafts you have made particularly, I want you to think about what materials, tools you use, why it is a craft, and how you actually made that piece of craft? If we think back to my origami, my material would be a square of paper.

The tools would be scissors to cut the square, and then actually my hands, my hands are a tool because I'm gonna be folding it.

Why is it a craft? It's a craft 'cause I'm using my hands and I'm skillfully designing different origami shapes.

And how did I make it? I cut a very good square out of paper.

Then I designed my origami and then I started folding and pressing.

Now it's your turn, pause the video.

Well done, I hope you had really rich discussions.

Let's see what our pupils said.

So Lucas has made a knitted scarf with his grandparent.

It was fun learning to use knitting needles and wool.

And of course, that is craft because he's using his hands and I'm sure it was skillfully designed 'cause he had to think about pattern within that.

Sophia loves making friendship bracelets and she had to be really patient when threading the beads.

And it's a craft again 'cause she's using her hands.

And also, she's skillfully designed it by thinking about where the beads would be placed.

Right, we've looked at what craft is and now we're gonna start exploring that relationship between art and craft.

When we explore relationships between art forms or different disciplines is often useful to hinge that upon looking at different people, either craftspeople or artists, or different works of craft, or works of art.

And today we're gonna focus on two.

We're gonna focus on William Morris and Yinka Ilori.

So the first example is William Morris and this example is called "Chair" and it's upholstered in an original bird woollen tapestry at around 1870, so a long time ago.

Upholstered means covering a piece of furniture in material and a woollen tapestry is a type of textile, which is really, really heavy and durable.

Ilori's series, "If Chairs Could Talk," is far more contemporary and that was created in 2015.

We're gonna start exploring these two artists and craftspeople as we go through the next two learning cycles.

Before that, let's have a quick check for understanding.

Aisha and Izzy are discussing the difference between art and craft.

I'd like you to think who is right.

Izzy says, "Art is two dimensional and not functional." Remember, functional is one of our key words.

Functional means that it can be used.

There is a purpose for that piece.

Aisha says, "Art and craft can both be three dimensional and craft can be functional, have a purpose, and be used and artistic." Who do you think is right? Pause the video.

Well done.

Let's have a look.

Yes, it's Aisha.

'Cause of course we know that art can be three dimensional.

if we think about sculpture for example.

And we know that craft can be both functional, have a purpose and artistic.

Well done.

But for much of history, particularly in western societies, craft was viewed less important than art as a lower status within that world because for many reasons, but one being that it was made for functional things.

So for a purpose, to be used in everyday life, such as furniture or clothes.

Another reason was that crafts historically were often created in domestic settings, which is the home primarily by women or within non-Western communities.

And both of these things meant that the work was frequently undervalued or overlooked.

I would like you to now think about that and select two reasons why craft is often viewed as less important, had a lower status than art in the past.

Is it because crafts were usually made by machines? Is it because crafts were often linked to women and their home? Is it because crafts were used to make everyday, functional things? Or is it because crafts were only made by children for fun? Pause the video.

Well done, I think you probably would've got B and C.

Indeed, crafts were often linked to women and the domestic setting, home and they were used to make everyday functional things.

And because of that, historically, they were often seen as less important as art.

Let's start diving deeper into one of those artists I introduced you to earlier.

William Morris was born in 1834 and he was a very well-respected and renowned English textile designer.

So he designed textiles and fabrics.

And he started the arts and crafts movement, which ha had a huge impact, huge impact, and he started it as a response to the industrial revolution.

And the movement focused on making things by hand instead of using machines, 'cause we know of course the industrial Revolution focused on a shift towards using machines and mass producing things.

So his movement focused on looking back at using hands, but he also started to combine art and craft.

He believed that both could be functional, they could be useful and beautiful.

And then as part of this, he wanted to treat everyday functional items. So purposeful, useful items like furniture as art.

He wanted that kind of useful, purposeful, everyday furniture to be viewed as an artwork.

A check for understanding.

Fill in the missing words.

William Morris believed that art and craft should be something and something.

And these are the options: Industrial and beautiful.

Separate and mechanical.

Mechanical and beautiful and functional and beautiful.

Pause the video.

Let's have a look.

Well done.

Yes, it's functional and beautiful.

'cause we know that the arts and crafts movement was as a response to the industrial revolution.

So he didn't believe that they should be industrial or mechanical.

Our second task, I would like you to choose and analyse a chair design.

Now that could be one of the chairs that William Morris designed.

I'd like you to choose that chair.

And then I want you to look at it through two different lenses.

First, I'd like you to analyse it through an art lens and think how does each part of the chair, the seat, the back rest, the legs, and the armrests, express artistic design.

And then I want you to think what colours and patterns do you see and why do you think they were used? So if you think about the elements of art, things like composition, colour tone, pattern, texture, those elements are now you're gonna analyse through that lens of a chair.

And then I want you to analyse through a craft lens, how is the chair functional and made for comfort and stability.

And stability means how stable is it? If you wiggle on it, will it break? And what features make it strong and useful? And importantly, this might also be what materials make it strong and useful.

Pause the video and I look forward to hearing about you're analysing.

Well done, I wonder what chair you chose.

Let's see what our pupil said.

Jun said the chair he chose expresses art in the way it's covered in green and gold decorative leaf fabric.

And we know that when you cover a chair, it's called upholstered.

And the woodwork is beautiful as well because it's carved in spiral patterns.

So there's artistic expression in how it's being carved.

Izzy was looking at the craft and the functional side of it.

And she says that the chair has strong wooden legs, so that makes it really strong and stable.

And the back rest leans back a bit to help you relax.

And it has a comfy, padded seat, that's the upholstered seat.

And armrest that curved to fit your arms. So this we can understand now the function of this chair is obviously a relaxing chair, a comfortable chair.

We're moving on to our third learning cycle now, challenging the boundaries between art and craft.

And this is where you're gonna put your designer's hat on in a minute.

Yinka Ilori is an artist and storyteller who turns discarded chairs into colourful art.

So Ilori is an artist who takes that is discarded, thrown away chairs and turns it into a piece of artwork.

He created, If Chairs Could Talk in 2015 by upcycling, discarded functional chairs into playful artistic designs.

Upcycling means taking them and making them into something new and different.

He strongly believes that every chair tells a story celebrating who we are and where we come from.

And I want you to remember that because you'll be using that in the last task for today's lesson.

So he believes every chair tells a story.

Have a think and look around, what do you think your chairs tell a story about? How many people have sat in the chair that you've sat in your classroom.

And I wonder where those pupils are now.

Ilori's works also include these examples.

I especially like the idea of Playland, an outdoor play space for adults.

That sounds fabulous.

Ilori challenges the boundary between art and craft because he combines the patterns, the colours and materials that reflect his Nigerian heritage and British upbringing.

So here is a piece of textile as an example of the type of patterns and colours and materials that he uses.

His designs are bold and fun and full of meaning and importantly, inspired by his memories.

A quick check for understanding.

How does Yinka Ilori tell a story with his chairs? He uses patterns and colours from his imagination.

He uses them from traditional art, from natural forms or from his heritage.

Pause the video.

Well done.

He uses patterns and colours from his Nigerian heritage to tell that story through his chairs.

And again, I want you to start thinking about that.

How do you use pattern and colours to tell your story? Chairs historically have been an object used around the world.

It's a universal object throughout history, but they've also sometimes not just been for function, they've also represented a person's status and culture.

If we think about a monarch, a king or queen, their throne often they're very elaborate to show their importance and status in society.

And here are some other examples of chairs that reflect people's status and culture.

We've got a sedan chair from Europe, the Peacock Throne from 17th century India and the Chiefdom's throne from the 19th century.

They're historical chairs, but contemporary chairs also tell a story.

And they come in various shapes, size and materials and styles and they really have started to push that boundary between art and craft.

And chair designs that actually push those boundaries are really worth looking at.

And here are some examples of those.

For example, Proust Armchair or Marcel Wonders, the Crochet Chair.

A quick check for understanding, true or false? Chairs are only functional objects and do not have artistic or cultural significance.

Pause the video.

Well done.

Of course, it's false.

I'd now like you to think, why? Come up with a sentence that tells me why that that's false.

Pause the video.

Let's have a look what was said.

Yeah, chairs can reflect personal stories, cultural heritage, artistic expression, and the involving nature of design.

Chairs can blur the boundaries between craft and art.

Well done.

Our last task.

So remembering all that we've learned today, especially about a chair being both functional and artistic and the fact that it can tell a story.

I want you to plan a school chair to tell a story about you or to celebrate your school, or class community.

You need to use a mind map.

And in the middle of your mind map, you're gonna say, redesigning my school chair.

And then you are gonna think about my chair story.

What story is it telling? The size and the shape, the colours, the patterns and symbols, and the tools and materials you'd use.

Now if I were gonna choose my old school chair, I would really draw on that idea of all these pupils that have long since moved on and kind of have moved on and are now far grown up, or maybe have families and think about that in terms of memories.

I think for me the colours and the patterns and the symbols would be quite soft and curved patterns and soft colours and tones.

The size and the shape I think would be quite large to show how many memories would be there.

And the tools and materials I'd use, certainly the material would be upholstered, so it would be a textile.

And then I'd want my chair to be durable.

So I'd probably use metal legs and a metal infrastructure.

And the tools to make that would of course be things such as hammers and nails to put this together.

Pause the video and start planning.

Well done.

I told you my idea, let's see a different idea.

So this pupil's chair story was celebrating diversity in their school.

And that flowers will represent the combined memories of my class.

So rather than the memories moving on of old pupils, this is the memories within the class.

The size and shape to represent that is gonna be a large and it's gonna be sunflower-inspired chair shape 'cause the flowers represent those memories.

And soft and decorative seat, and legs shaped like angular buildings.

Maybe to reflect the fact that this is a school building.

Colours, patterns, and symbols will be a bright patchwork of colour with angular patterns, with soft swirls.

And the tools and materials be natural materials like wood and human-made materials like metal.

The next part of this task is to design your chair.

So what I'd like you to do is sketch lightly the outline.

Then I want you to decorate the chair with patterns or symbols.

Then I want you to choose colours that best represent your story.

So mine were quite muted soft tones and colours.

And then think about it, if the purpose of your chair is to be comfortable, think about what cushions you could use.

And then to have a proper design, label it with what things you've done and why.

Pause the video.

Well done, let's have a look at what our pupil's design looks like.

Here we have it.

It looks amazing, I can see a sunflower.

I can see a circular design and angular legs.

Let's see what their labels say.

So they've used a warm and a cool colour scheme.

So the warmth is in the sunflower, the yellow and the red, and the cool is in the blue.

The metal chair surround inspired by window reflections on the building of the school.

That looks lovely.

And then a sunflower for joy.

Seed-inspired patterns in soft textile materials and sharp metal angular legs inspired by buildings.

I think that's a fabulous chair.

I wonder what yours look like? Thank you for joining us today on our lesson, "This is Craft." Hopefully you've learned lots and lots about craft and the boundaries, specifically, that crafts have been passed out for centuries and are still important today.

That the arts and crafts movement believed crafts should be handmade and can be both functional and beautiful.

That craftspeople use special tools and materials to design and make unique functional objects, building creative and practical skills.

And lastly, that in the past, historically, people thought crafts were less important, had a lower status than art because they were often made at home in the domestic setting, especially by women or in non-Western cultures.

Thank you again, and I hope to see you soon.