Objects and Meanings, New Perspectives on Art and Craft

Objects and Meanings, New Perspectives on Art and Craft has been very useful in developing my understanding of this area.

The book begins with a chapter by M.Anna Fariello on 'Regarding the History of the Object'. She uses her first footnote to define her use of the word 'object', which she chooses to use rather than words such as 'artefact' or 'sculpture' because it "lies outside the value-laden classification systems" (Fariello 2004: 19). She writes that in order to examine objects and their meanings now, you have to look at the history of objects and how they have been valued (Fariello 2004: 2).

Paula Owen contributes a chapter titled 'Labels, Lingo and Legacy: Crafts at the Crossroads'. She argues that "The word 'craft' has so many different definitions today that it is practically meaningless" (Owen in Fariello 2004: 24). Owen believes that innovation has become prized as an end in itself and questions whether craft objects that draw meaning from traditional materials and techniques have a place anymore (Owen in Fariello 2004:28). She concludes that the craft establishment lacks an 'articulated ideology' (Owen in Fariello 2004: 30).

'Reading the Language of Objects', also by Fariello, was a particularly useful chapter which I think will become a key text for this project. She begins by writing,

"Today we can only begin to imagine the emotion that must have accompanied the initial discovery of nature's material properties, the paradoxical twin characteristics of malleability and permanence of clay, for example"...This power of transformation must have captivated the imagination of the first craftsman" (Fariello 2004: 148).

She explains that craftsmanship has been a constant since then and that,

"A creative triad is reenacted time and again: maker meets material on the stage of process and through the application of technology - old or new, an object is created" (Fariello 2004: 148).

"One of the marvelous things about aesthetic objects is that, through them, a transference of meaning can take place over vast periods of time. The meaning invested in an object by a maker in one epoch lies dormant until discovered by someone from another century. Because of the objects long half-life, its meaning can reappear at any time, like a genie in the bottle" (Fariello 2004: 148).

Fariello proposes that objects have a language that is readable. An object can be read as a document, a metaphor, or as an object of ritual. As a document an object is a physical record of its process; we can learn about human creativity and technological experimentation. As a metaphor the object gives insight into the human condition, it extend extends the story of the life of the individual who it into "a more universal language to reveal a collective human story". As a ritual an object is part of day-to-day experience and it enriches perception visually, sensually and emotionally. Fariello explains that "the ritual object invites the viewer or holder to participant in a second creative act, thereby elevating ordinary experience to the extraordinary".

The argument above is based on the assumption that creative objects created by humans have an important role in culture - a role involving meaning and value. Fariello explains that "An object's meaning is manifest in its physical form and in markings on its surface, while its value is culturally ascribed".

The next part of the paper focuses on the "value of the action of its makings" rather than the object itself (Fariello 2004: 149).

"In considering the effect that creative process may have on its maker, its holder, and collectively, on the culture in which it exists, I propose that the value inherent in an object is also the value inherent in its making" (Fariello 2004:149).

Fariello writes that objects can only be read by applying imagination.

Fariello uses the word 'holder' as a parallel to 'viewer' (often used in art writing) because objects are often held rather than just viewed, she wants to emphasise this idea (Fariello 2004: 150). Fariello also wants to emphasise that objects can provide 'an interactive experience' as opposed to viewing 2D work.

Fariello then discusses the objects as documents, metaphor and ritual, in depth.

Document...

Fariello writes that "satisfaction and meaning are rooted in the physicality that exists below the radar of a highly technical world". She believes that "The materiality of objects conveys its own history" - made objects are a record of the interaction between the maker and material. Marks of making are a record of the decisions and actions of the maker (Fariello 2004:151).

However, the holder not always able to read the subtle nuance of an object (Fariello 2004: 151).

Fariello describes 'a deeper seeing' - "Regardless of scale, form or function, an object's meaning is couched in a nonverbal language to be received and perceived tactually and visually". Fariello writes that understanding objects meaning is made difficult by the English languages limited vocabulary for the sensual and visual (Fariello 2004: 155).

"While verbal langauge can provide clues to understanding and can stimulate reflection, it cannot replace knowing the work through experiential methods" (Fariello 2004: 155).

Metaphor...

Fariello writes that "the object is a vehicle that carries its viewers into an expanded universe". The that intangible properties of objects can be difficult to perceive, but they bind us to "an ever evolving human condition"(Fariello 2004: 156).

The object as a document is a record of making, but the object as a metaphor is the spirit of creative process (Fariello 2004: 160).

Ritual...

Fariello explains that "Ritual is a way of moving through an activity to bring a heightened awareness of the actions that form it". The process of making pottery exemplifies ritual (Fariello 2004: 161). "Again and again, the maker invests an object with self-conscious and thoughtful process, each act resulting in a deliberate mark" (Fariello 2004: 162).

Fariello explains the concept of a 'multiplicity of functions'. A quilt is an example, it is a bedcover but its function is greater than the sum of its parts. Function embraces the quilt as a document (cast of clothes from family), as a metaphor (double meaning of providing warmth) and ritual (use on special occasions). "Thus, the multiple functions of an object exist apart from its use and are made up of layered intangible meanings, rather than its physical properties alone" (Fariello 2004:165).

In 'Intimate Matters: Objects and Subjectivity' Suzanne Ramljak addresses objects ability to create intimate experiences. She examines traits that characterize the 'intimate object', including diminutive scale, secret elements and strong tactility (Ramljak in Fariello 2004: 186). She discusses bodily touch, "the decline of touch experience in everyday life has transformed this basic sense into a rare and even radical element. The cardinal rule within the institutionalized art world is still 'thou shalt not touch'" (Ramljak in Fariello 2004: 192).

"Without the grounding force of objects, we would be adrift in a void without measure or weight. Objects provide us with a tangible source of comfort, something to hold onto in a shifting world" (Ramjak in Fariello 2004: 193).

Fariello, M.Anna and Owen, Paula. Ed. 2004. Objects and Meaning, New Perspectives on Art and Craft. Scarecrow Press Inc.