The Human Involvment in Making by Louise Tucker

Handmade interior textile pieces developed from tradition craft techniques

My design practice and personal research centres around the idea that the value of craftsmanship and the working processes of craft production can inform the working methods of designers in industry.  I am fascinated with woven design and craft techniques that cannot be manufactured by machines but rely on some form of hand involvement.  This is important as I believe that when consumers are visually aware of products being handmade they are reminded of human involvement and therefore to some extent humanity.  Over the course of the Ted’s ten lecture series I have developed my thinking towards sustainability focusing mainly on design for ethical production and design to replace the need to consume.  These are of interest because they are concerned with the development of relationships: from the designer to the products they’re developing, to the designer and the people that are making their products, to the consumer and the products they are buying.  Understanding these relationships has highlighted the need for consumers to reconnect with their products.  Developing products that encourage consumers’ understanding of how things are made and their making skills can heighten their daily experiences and through their emotional connections removing their need to replace and consume.

louise_tucker84@hotmail.co.uk