Thesis Research

This week was spent researching and rough editing my thesis.

I am also reading some very interesting texts by David Pye, courtesy of Jan.




David Pye refers to craftsmanship synonymously with workmanship, defining it as the use of "any kind of technique or apparatus, in which the quality of the result is not predetermined, but depends on the judgment, dexterity and care which the maker exercises as he works”. Explaining further that, "the quality of the result is continually at risk during the process of making", terming this the “workmanship of risk”. He contrasts this notion with the “workmanship of certainty”, which is typically the result of automation where “quality of the result is exactly predetermined before a single salable thing is made". Pye does not dismiss mass production, but acknowledges the standardized process as an essential in high quantities of quality objects. He also highlights tools for workmanship of certainty, jigs and measurement devices, as necessities for even the most traditional artisan. According to this model, craft is not the means of production, but simply the involvement of the producer.