Browsing by Subject "craft"

This masters' thesis explored the use of the body, tools, and the environment in craftwork from an embodied cognitive perspective. More specifically the activity studied was wooden boatbuilding. Activity theory was used to map the elements and the dynamics of the wooden boatbuilding activity in relation to the object of work (a wooden gunboat). The research interests (related to body, tools and environment) were positioned among the different elements of the wooden boatbuilding activity (tools, subject, object, outcome, rules, community and division of labor) by following an activity theoretical structure. Previous research has shown that the abilities of the body are quite often overshadowed by the abilities of brain alone, even though cognition is embodied due to its dependency on the characteristics of the agent's physical body. The objective of this research was to seek further understanding on the position of the body and its role in an activity of craft with the use of tools and environment. By having an embodied cognitive perspective, the research looked at the types of materials from the environment that were applied for work, and how material artefacts have contributed to the body's performance during craft. In addition, the research took into account the characteristics of the work environment that enabled the body of craftsmen to work more efficiently. Specifically, the thesis captured a two-day data collection of videos and interviews in the dockyard of Suomenlinna Fortress, based on the method of ethnography. The data collection gathered material for the analysis of the craftwork on a wooden gunboat model, during a process of craft called caulking. For the analysis, the work of five subjects (wooden boat builders) was observed closely. The method applied for analysis of data was thematic analysis, which required a selective process of data, based on relevant or reoccurring themes identified throughout video files. The most representative themes of the activity were framed in sets of images for further interpretation, and in that way enabling the validation of themes and their relevance to the research questions. As a result, the themes identified in the activity of wooden boatbuilding were (1) the abilities of the body, (2) the limitations of the body, (3) the body and the process of sensing, (4) the affordance of tools, (5) tools as mediators, and (6) the affordances or the environment. All these themes were building blocks for conceptualising the role of the body in the craft of wooden boatbuilding, the role of tools in the craft of wooden boatbuilding, and how the environment is used in the craft of wooden boatbuilding. This research concluded that, while activity theory allowed a holistic understanding of a craft activity, such as wooden boatbuilding, embodied cognition was vital for conceptualising the role of the body as a starting point in relation to all elements of the activity, including tools and environment. In addition of certifying the usefulness of this combination (embodied cognition and activity theory), perhaps the most relevant finding of this research was the so-called APDCS (area of potential development of craft skills), which could contextualise the integration among body, tools and environment in the craft of wooden boatbuilding through the development of various tasks.

The aim of this study is to survey the meaning of craftmanship in goldsmith occupation. The image of craftmanship is built theoretically as well as researcher's own practical experience. The study describes a dialogue between self-employed goldsmith's everyday work and trade union's opinion. Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto (The Goldsmith Association of Finland) was chosen for the trade union, because it is the biggest, the oldest and the most influential on the occupational area. The research data are volumes 1995 - 1998 of occupational membership journal of Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto. The data analyzed with Adapted Content Analysis and Grounded Theory. The professional occupation of goldsmiths, the role of craftmanship and the future of the occupation are discussed. Additionally, the relationship between the Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto and occupational culture and profession of goldsmiths was studied. Craft and craftmanship is most often discussed in articles related to tradition and education. Craftmanship is understood very idealistically, with little meaning in practical life. St. Eligius and the skill and art of goldsmiths in St Petersburg are raised to symbols of craftmanship. The occupational image is broken and a clear conflict between education and occupation is visible. Education produces artist-craftsmen, while handicraft workers are required in industry, and retailers or specially trained store assistant in business. Computer-aided design and manufacture render handicraft workmanship unnecessary. In a pessimistic view, the future possibilities of the goldsmith occupational profession are dim, because the artist-craftsmen are bound to lose to fast-paced machines. On the other hand, people involved in goldsmith education see the future light, designer-goldsmiths developing the occupational to new dimensions. Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto represents goldsmiths in public. The union, however is governed by non-artisan goldsmiths. The union stresses business attitudes and entrepreneurship, and has succeeded in protecting the privileges of retailers and industry. Goldsmiths profession is seen in the research data as a combination of precious-metal industry, jewellery and watch stores, and a goldsmith shop is considered a specialized giftstore. The goldsmiths occupation is not a profession, and the Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto is not a trade union for artist and craftmen. Accordingly, part of the representative authority of the union could be transferred from the Association to Taidekäsityöläiset Taiko ry, a member of organization of Ornamo. Results of this study show the importance of defining the images of the goldsmith occupational profession and the trade union. The results could be applied to goldsmith education to examine what would be the optimal education and training for present employment opportunities. The important background theories has been the theories of Habermas and Lévi-Strauss.

Objectives. This paper examines the epistemic activity of a small group of 7th grade comprehensive school pupils in a single session of innovation. The pupils work together to design and build a "smart pillow". The pupils' handicraft combines electrical engineering and sewing. The study analyzes epistemic search sequences (ESS): situations in which pupils fill in gaps in their knowledge. In these situations, the pupils ask and answer questions in an informed way. The paper explores how pupils negotiate shared epistemic expertise and knowledge construction in their interactions. The paper analyzes the verbal, gestural, and material interactions of pupils. Methods. Conversation analysis (CA) looks at interaction moment by moment. It is based on pupils' interpretations of each other's verbal and nonverbal actions. The primary data for the study is video footage recorded with a single camera and microphone, which was then transcribed. The same group of pupils was previously studied (Davies et al., 2023; Mehto et al., 2020b) using mostly theory-driven methods with focus on a longer time span of collaboration. However, CA brings the pupils' interactions into a data-driven focus that includes microanalytical study of verbal, gestural, and material activities during a single meeting. Results and conclusions. The epistemic interaction between pupils was learning oriented. The analysis showed that the pupils made progress in their work by frequently asking and answering questions (F=157). Through question-answer adjacency pairs, pupils positioned themselves as epistemically knowledgeable (K) in different ways. The analysis showed that pupils who were more frequently positioned as more knowledgeable (K+) asked more informative questions and gave more instructions. Pupils used gestures to guide their work. They used gaze to review information stored both on the prototype and a smartphone. Pupils also showed epistemic evaluation expertise with the use of modal verbs. The pupils approached craft know-how from perspectives of possibility and necessity. The most frequently used modal verbs were voida (can), pitää (must), saada (get) and kannattaa (it is worth).

The main purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the craft instructions of a Finnish craft magazine Omin käsin during the years 1938 1952. The Second World War had caused serious depression in Finland, which caused also lack of textile material. Textile shortage forced people to develop various creative ways of coping. The textile shortage lasted for several years after the war. My goal was to study how the period of shortage appears in the craft magazine. My research material consisted of 327 craft instructions. The perspective of the study is historical and my method is qualitative content analysis. I confined the craft instructions based on how the period of shortage appears in them. I arranged them in tabulated form and categorized the instructions. Creating theoretical concepts actualizes in the naming of the categories and in the analysis of the significance of craft during the period. I categorized the instructions into five different categories: making something new using old material, repairing and taking care of clothes, substitute materials, scarce materials, homespun and home woven materials. I also analyzed the appearance of the instructions during the years of shortage. The demanding process of categorizing laid the groundwork for the analysis of the significance of craft during the period of shortage. Studying craft during an exceptional period of time, as the period of textile shortage, offers new perspectives in studying the meanings of craft. Although home craft was an indispensable part of household work and thus economical, in the magazine Omin käsin appears also aesthetic, therapeutic and social meanings of crafts. Crafts were not only a material way of coping, but it also brought people together and was a mental support during hard times. No doubt, only browsing through the innovative instructions of the magazine gave self-confidence and hope of coping. The lack of material set restrictions which forced to develop creative solutions and new innovations. For a short period of time, it stopped the fast progress industrialization, and working by hand was once again widely valued. Domestic materials were complimented and developed diversely. The period of shortage left its own imprint on Finnish crafts.

Internet and social media have become part of our everyday life over the last few decades. Hobby craft makers have also found their places in various environments of social media. In this research, I aim to uncover in what ways the hobby craft makers employ social media as part of their hobby. Previous research has shown that craft makers employ the internet to find information and ideas, and to follow publications with craft-content. In this research, my aim is to answer the following questions: (i) What social media services do the hobby craft makers use and why? (ii) In what ways can social media be part of craft as a hobby? (iii) What type of users can be identified among the hobby craft makers? The approach is qualitative, and the data was collected by using semi-structural interviews. The research material consisted of ten interviews of hobby craft makers from Southern Finland. The interviewees were selected by purposive sampling. The material was analysed by using inductive content analysis. The results indicate that craftspeople took advantage of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and blogs in their hobby. The most popular services were Facebook and Instagram. The popularity of different platforms was based on the qualities of the services. For example, Facebook was popular due to its visuality and possibility to communicate with other users, whereas Pinterest was used as a storage place of new ideas. Social media brought several advantages for the hobby craft makers, for example ideas, instructions and sense of community. The results also showed that the use of social media was individual, in other words, the role and the meaning of social media as part of the hobby was specified by user. Three main types of users are discovered in the data: Occasional participants use social media sporadically and precisely. For such users participating and publishing is infrequent and casual. Social media- followers follow actively different social media platforms and publish new content every now and then. This kind of users regard themselves more as followers of social media than publishers. Content producers, in comparison, regard themselves more as producers than followers. Content producers resort to social media in diverse ways and publish new content with some regularity.