top of page
Anchor 1

The Imperfection of Craft

Masters First Year, 2016

Course Instructor: Irénée Scalbert

A Certain Special Quality

Craft is defined in many ways. It is defined as a process, as the final object, as an art, as a skill, even as a way of life if we look at the example of the bricoleur; who is never satisfied with the final outcome and will forever store all kinds of loose parts and pieces in case of their usefulness in future craft works.(1)  To Richard Sennett in his book, The Craftsman, craftsmanship is the act of doing something well for its own sake.(2) Although this may refer to the act of craftsmanship, this essay will focus more on the outcome of doing something well and the relationship that is then instantly formed between the observer and the object.

 

When looking at the craft object there is one element that is always present and gives a specific quality. This quality gives craft a value that a mass-produced object will never have. That quality is imperfection. If a craftsman were to make ten of the same cup or figurine, each one would be unique in the sense that each would never be exactly the same as the one next to it.

 

In the picture below, we see an example of this. We see a series of the same object, by the same craftsman and made from the same material. Most of them were probably made right after the other, yet every single piece is unique.

 

This quality of imperfection reminds us of ourselves and the vast amount of differences that people have between each other. It is a humbling thought that not everything needs to be perfect and that the imperfect element can actually add beauty to the whole. It is this knowledge that the object you are holding or seeing is unique in its imperfection that creates a sort of intimate connection between the object and observer.

 

The root of this quality originates from the element of risk. Risk that is always present when creating something by hand. The craftsman is always making then thinking then making again. The distance between him and the object is close. David Pye states: “If I must ascribe a meaning to the word craftsmanship, I shall say as a first approximation that it means workmanship using any kind of technique or apparatus, in which the quality of the result is not predetermined, but depends on the judgement, dexterity and care which the maker exercises as he works. The essential idea is that the quality of the result is continually at risk.” (3)

1.

Scalbert, Irénée. 2011. “The Architect as Bricoleur.” Candide 4 (4): 69–88.

 

2.

Sennett, Richard. 2008. The Craftsman. New Haven: Yale University Press.

​

3.

Pye, David. 1968. The Nature and Art of Workmanship. Cambridge: Cambridge Press.

Fig. 1

Variations in the same object showing the imperfect nature of craft. de Waal, Edmund. A Change in the Weather. 2007. Porcelain. Kettle’s Yard. Cambridge.

The Emergence of Perfection

With the event of the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of mass production came the reality that the same object could be replicated perfectly and produced on a much larger scale and for a fraction of the cost. Thus, the quality of imperfection was lost and the tradition of craft with it. Consumers were given the simple choice of choosing very minor changes in their product, for example the colour of their car. This may have seemed very convenient for the consumer at the time, however, today this has created a lack of quality in the objects that surround us. They all have the same feeling of lifeless objects that have been mass produced into millions of identical objects.

 

This was not, however, the first time machines were chosen over man. Machine production started as early as 1764, when Jacque de Vaucanson was commissioned to design a silk weaving machine by Louis XV, and in its success, many silk weavers were laid off. Not only did the machine dispose of the need for manual labour but was able to weave many more coloured strands of silk increasing the variety of patterns produced.(4)  And so began the preference of machines to craftsmen.

4.

Sennett, Richard. 2008. The Craftsman. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Fig. 2

Mass Production of an Eames designed chair. Digital Image. Preserving the Authenticity of the Eames Furniture by Eames Demetrios. OEN, Marc Robinson. Web 21 Sept. 2012.

This emergence of machine-produced goods raises an interesting point – that of the distance between the act of thinking (the mind) and the act of making (the hand). The introduction of the machine has distanced the mind from the hand where the mind designs the object and the machine creates it later in the process. This has been furthered with the introduction of CAD, 3D printers, CNC routers and even artificial intelligence.(4)

​

The quality of product that these have produced suggests that a return to a closer distance or relationship between the mind and hand must be made in order to make an intimate piece of craft work and reestablish the culture of the imperfect object. When the mind and the hand work together, they aid each other in creating the object, they need each other to determine the weight of the object, judge it, change it, assess it, feel it. Continuously thinking and making until the mind and hand become a combined entity.(4)

 

Fortunately, a trend in craft has reemerged in today’s society and may begin to take back its rightful claim to production, restoring the intimate connection formed between an object and its user.

Imperfection in Architecture

Can this quality of imperfection in craft objects be brought through into architecture and the making of space? We’ve seen the industrial revolution take over and revolutionize the way buildings are made, even more so with today’s technologies where buildings can be 3D-printed or prefabricated by machines before being pieced together on site, creating perfect but simple looking walls and ceilings that lack the crafted quality of imperfection. What could this mean for the future of architecture and is this an issue that we need to address?

 

Unfortunately, craft today is becoming used as a marketing tool and perceived by the public as a luxury, costing far too much money. An example of this type of architecture could be from Peter Zumthor. The swiss architect is well known for his crafted architecture and creates spaces that are loaded with details and interesting combinations of materials. However, these crafted spaces are only really available to the top 1% of the population who can afford this kind of architecture. Although the elements of his architecture are seen as crafted, the quality of imperfection cannot be found. It is as if it has become a hybrid piece of architecture that is handcrafted to perfection, giving the best of both worlds.

 

But does the idea of handcrafted spaces need to have this label of luxury and class to it? And can the quality of imperfection add a missing layer to architecture that speaks to its inhabitants in a more intimate way?

Fig. 3

Interior space showing the perfect craft of St. Benedict Chapel. Zumthor, Peter. St. Benedict Chapel. 1988. Sumvitg.

Here we will take two buildings where the handmade quality has been used throughout the building and has enhanced the architecture completely, giving it an extra layer and creating something beautiful.

 

The first example is an office studio designed and built by Solano Benitez and his team on a very low budget. Benitez uses brick, which is, in itself, an imperfect material that gains more of this quality over time, and creates an architecture that is rich in this imperfect quality. The assembly and outcome is almost rough but the design of the overall piece is thought through and creates an instant connection with the inhabitant, communicating that it is handmade with intent and care.

Fig. 4

Clustered Timber Elements forming column and brick overhang. Benitez, Solano. El Gabinete de Architectura. 2014. Asuncion.

​

Fig. 5

Facade showing the rough imperfect quality of the brick wall. Benitez, Solano. El Gabinete de Architectura. 2014. Asuncion.

The second example is a house designed and mostly built by South African architect, Gawie Fagan in the 1960’s in Cape Town, South Africa. Together with physically building the house with his family, Fagan also designed and crafted all the fittings on site including the kitchen joinery, doors and door handles.(5)  Although these fittings are not up to today’s perfect standards, they contain a layer of intent and beauty in their own right, ultimately enhancing the space and its connection with the user who is always feeling the material; holding the handle or pulling open the cupboard door.

 

In his book, Twenty Cape Houses, Fagan states, “The house was finished with fittings made in the cellar workshop and I am sure these yellow wood handles for our front door, bedroom, bedroom cupboards and strong room feel more responsive to the hand and heart than anything I could buy. But more importantly, only by developing a feel for form and materials through handwork, can an architect imbue his work with this quality.” (5) This statement from Fagan poses an interesting question, especially in today’s society; is it necessary for the architect to physically craft his own fitting for the spaces he designs? Or should this be left to the craftsman, therefore, forming a collaborative effort in the design of the space. Nevertheless, what is also important to take from this is the feeling of responsiveness to “the hand and heart,” showing us the intimacy felt when a well-crafted object that is repetitively held by the user of the space is integrated into the architecture.

5.

Fagan, Gabriel. 2005. Twenty Cape Houses. Cape Town: Breestraat Publications.

Fig. 6

Gawie Fagan crafting fittings with his son. Twenty Cape Houses. 2005. Breestraat Publications. Cape Town.

​

Fig. 7

Gawie Fagan’s wife and sons constructing floor slab. Twenty Cape Houses. 2005. Breestraat Publications. Cape Town

Fig. 8

Hand-Crafted Timber Door and Handle. Twenty Cape Houses. 2005. Breestraat Publications. Cape Town

​

Fig. 9

Sketch of the strongroom door handle. Twenty Cape Houses. 2005. Breestraat Publications. Cape Town

A Future of Imperfection

What does this mean for the future of architecture and architects? As previously mentioned; does this mean that architects are going to need to start constructing or at least aid in the construction of their own architectural masterpieces? This is, of course, an impossible task to even think about let alone attempt. We can, however, attempt a step in the right direction by allowing the architect to design closely with a group of artists, sculptors and craftsman when detailing the spaces. This will begin to create a dialogue between them and allow for the architectural space to become the product of a collaborative effort creating richly layered spaces.

 

Yes, Peter Zumthor is probably on the right track with regard to this; in his book, Thinking Architecture, Zumthor explains, “Among all the drawings produced by architects, my favourites are the working drawings… Created for the craftsman who are to give the imagined object a material form, they are free associative manipulation… They seem to be saying: ‘This is exactly what it will look like.’”(6)  What he says here proves his working with the craftsman and the trust that must exist between them, however, his search for perfection in his architecture and the perception of craft as being a luxury item is hindering this collaboration in being something great and something for everyone to be a part of.

 

Another step would be for Gawie Fagan’s house to lead by example and allow for the architect to focus on crafting the fittings of the building as these are the elements that are forever being handled and felt by the inhabitants. This exercise will obviously depend on the scale of building but if achieved, the architect would be able to craft custom fittings according to his design of the space creating a more intimate experience.

 

John Ruskin once said “the demand for perfection is always a sign of a misunderstanding of the ends of art.” (7)  With this in mind, we look to a future of imperfection. A future that reminds us what it is to be human, with the knowledge that we don’t need to be perfect. Who knows, we may even discover that the imperfect is even be more beautiful.

6.

Zumthor, Peter. 2010. Thinking Architecture. Basel: Birkhauser.

​

7.

Ruskin, John. 1851. The Stones of Venice. Smith, Elder and Company.

“The demand for perfection is always a sign of a misunderstanding of the ends of art.”

- John Ruskin

Table of Figures

Fig. 1  Variations in the same object showing the imperfect nature of craft. de Waal, Edmund. A Change in the Weather. 2007. Porcelain. Kettle’s Yard. Cambridge. Web 4 Nov. 2013. Date Accessed, 6 Jan. 2017.

<http://shelleysdavies.com/edmund-de-waal-2/>

 

Fig. 2 Mass Production of an Eames designed chair. Digital Image. Preserving the Authenticity of the Eames Furniture by Eames Demetrios. OEN, Marc Robinson. Web 21 Sept. 2012. Date Accessed, 4 Jan. 2017.

<http://the189.com/furniture/preserving-the-authenticity-of-the-eames-furniture-by-eames-demetrios/>

 

Fig. 3 Interior space showing the perfect craft of St. Benedict Chapel. Zumthor, Peter. St. Benedict Chapel. 1988. Sumvitg. Web 25 Aug. 2013. Date Accessed, 5 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.archdaily.com/418996/ad-classics-saint-benedict-chapel-peter-zumthor>

 

Fig. 4 Clustered Timber Elements forming column and brick overhang. Benitez, Solano. El Gabinete de Architectura. 2014. Asuncion. Web 13 Aug. 2014. Date Accessed, 9 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.archdaily.com/536606/the-architecture-firm-solano-benitez>

 

Fig. 5 Facade showing the rough imperfect quality of the brick wall. Benitez, Solano. El Gabinete de Architectura. 2014. Asuncion. Web 13 Aug. 2014. Date Accessed, 9 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.archdaily.com/536606/the-architecture-firm-solano-benitez>

 

Fig. 6 Gawie Fagan crafting fittings with his son. Twenty Cape Houses. 2005. Breestraat Publications. Cape Town.

 

Fig. 7 Gawie Fagan’s wife and sons constructing floor slab. Twenty Cape Houses. 2005. Breestraat Publications. Cape Town.

 

Fig. 8 Hand-Crafted Timber Door and Handle. Twenty Cape Houses. 2005. Breestraat Publications. Cape Town

 

Fig. 9 Sketch of the strongroom door handle. Twenty Cape Houses. 2005. Breestraat Publications. Cape Town

Bibliography

Elder, Gavin. 2015. Cosy Homes: Die Es, Cape Town. South Africa: Monocle

Magazine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMDi6CpN024.

​

Fagan, Gabriel. 2005. Twenty Cape Houses. Cape Town: Breestraat Publications.

​

Levi-Strauss, Claude. 1962. The Savage Mind. Paris: Librairie Plon.

​

Merin, Gili. 2013. “AD Classics: Saint Benedict Chapel / Peter Zumthor.”          

Archdaily. http://www.archdaily.com/418996/ad-classics-saint-benedict- chapel-peter-zumthor.

​

Pye, David. 1968. The Nature and Art of Workmanship. Cambridge: Cambridge

Press.

​

Quintana, Lorena. 2014. “El Gabinete de Arquitectura / Solano Benitez.”

Archdaily. http://www.archdaily.com/536606/the-architecture-firm- solano-benitez.

​

Robinson, Mark. 2012. “Preserving the Authenticity of the Eames Furniture by

Eames Demetrios.” OEN. http://the189.com/furniture/preserving- the-authenticity-of-the-eames-furniture-by-eames-demetrios/.

​

Ruskin, John. 1851. The Stones of Venice. Smith, Elder and Company.

​

Scalbert, Irénée. 2011. “The Architect as Bricoleur.” Candide 4 (4): 69–88.

​

Sennett, Richard. 2008. The Craftsman. New Haven: Yale University Press.

​

Zumthor, Peter. 2010. Thinking Architecture. Basel: Birkhauser.

bottom of page