Reflections on traditional handicrafts

? Traditional handicraft refers to the transformation of natural materials by hand to meet people's needs before industrial production. In ancient times, due to people's material needs, traditional handicrafts could be preserved for a long time. Before large-scale industrial production appeared, traditional handicrafts were the material basis for our survival. With the development of society and the progress of culture, people's material needs are no longer only satisfied with functional needs, but also include aesthetic needs, so there are various handicrafts with unified aesthetics and functions.

? In the process of handicraft production, the ancients always emphasized the importance of using materials and the design idea of "using materials according to their needs". At the beginning of "Flower King Gong Ji", the general principle of making utensils is written: "Sometimes, the sky is full of air, the materials are beautiful and the work is skilled. If you combine these four things, you can get better. " It can be seen that the ancients had the idea of adapting to local conditions and integrating heaven and man, emphasizing the importance of good weather. Taoism believes that the highest realm of utensils is "skillful if clumsy", and the utensils without utensils are the best realm. However, it is precisely because of the simple design concept of Taoism in the pre-Qin period, the misunderstanding of its concept in later generations, and the mainstream culture of Confucianism, which attaches importance to the relationship between people and ignores the relationship between people and things, greatly influenced the concept of "emphasizing Taoism and restraining devices" in ancient China, and this cultural tradition influenced the whole ancient times. The thought of "metaphysics is the Tao, while metaphysics is the device" makes the Tao more valuable than the device, which also causes the imperfection of the development of handicraft theory for a long time and deeply affects today's design education. In modern times, due to the lack of aesthetic feeling caused by the development of industrialization, many people have awakened to combine art with technology. In China, they tried to move from Chen Zhifo to Bauhaus to reform the design education in China. So far, three basic courses have been formed. In the present situation of design education, we can still see the shadow of "separation of Tao and implement" The students of the School of Design fully understand the theoretical knowledge and artistic creation, but they really enter the practical creation and bring handicrafts.

? 20165438+On June 8th, 2007, an exhibition called "The Hand of the Artist" was held in China. Its theme is to discuss the relationship between "hand" and "heart" in creation. In traditional design, the importance of artists has always been emphasized, but in today's design background where skills are seriously lacking, I think it is time to mention skills. The key is to "get it from your hands" and then "get it from your heart", so "get it from your heart" is a relatively advanced requirement. We can't put the cart before the horse. If you can't even master the most basic skills, how can you get them from your heart? In the current handicraft practice, we should vigorously develop "handcraft". Compared with industrial production, traditional craftsmen can judge the quality of materials by looking and touching. Handmade feelings are not only reflected in the exquisite skills, but also in the feelings for natural materials. The craft, personality and taste contained in them are often displayed in their works, which is also an important reason for the uniqueness of handicrafts, which is irreplaceable by modern industrial production and far from being achieved. The process of handicraft production can be compared to an emotional transformation. With the knowledge of materials and skillful application of skills, every detail and corner of handicrafts seems to have a manual temperature, which is the greatest respect for natural materials.

? Every time I think of my feelings about traditional handicrafts, I can't help thinking of william morris, the founder of the British arts and crafts movement. He is also an advocate of rival craftsmanship. Although he lived in different times, his worries about industrialization and his yearning for the spirit of medieval guilds are also what we need today. In today's China, design needs to be localized, return to handicrafts, and pick up skills again. A new generation of young people need to approach the era of living by hand a thousand years ago, so that they can understand that skills are not as simple as they thought, and they insist on one thing for their lives. In today's diversified development of the world, in this colorful and interlaced world, if we want to reactivate the vitality of handicrafts, we need the national and local strength rooted in the soil of our nation, the skills of our hands and the yearning of our hearts, so as to bloom more brilliant flowers of handicrafts.