Outsourcing the hand: An analysis of craft-design collaborations across the global divide

Outsourcing the hand: An analysis of craft-design collaborations across the global divide
By Kevin Murray 

Sarah Thorn for WorldWeave, Acrobat Cushion, 2009, wool felt, hand

embroidered.

Photograph: James Widdowsen, craft+design enquiry journal

Abstract: This paper identifies a growing trend in contemporary craft practice which involves outsourcing handmade processes to artisans in poorer countries. To evaluate this process, it reviews three case studies: Sara Thorns Worldwide Weave in India, Polly&Me in Pakistan, and Martina Dempf in Rwanda. Each enables different levels of creative collaboration with traditional artisans. While a critical framework is able to be established, there is still a lack of information that comes directly from the artisans themselves. Read complete paper

Abstract from: An analysis of craft-design collaborations across the global divide
by Kevin Murray
Full paper published in craft + design enquiry; Issue 2, 2010, Cross cultural exchanges in craft and design