Definitions by Diana Taylor
#Reproduction
(In my own work), duplicating another image via the trawling through, mostly, existing reproductions. The repeatedly reproduced image leads to a process of ruination or lessened quality.
#Hand-made
'There was little or no division of labour, and what machinery was used was simply of the nature of the multiplied tool, a help to the workman's hand-labour and not a supplanter of it. The workman worked for himself not to any capitalist employer, and he was accordingly master of his work and his time; this was the period of pure handicraft.'
William Morris, The Revival of Handicraft. 1888
The Revival of Handicraft outlines Morris's fundamental ideas which are significant again today; concerning the impact of technology upon craft processes, the value of the handmade in a digital age and division of labour. My own research looks at the impact of past upon the present, through the merging of traditional, mechanical and digital processes within my multidisciplinary practice; asking why Morris is a valuable ghost today.
#Data
Data saturates our times; data of the past is reproduced, reconstructed, redefined, repeatedly.
#Cast
An imitation of the original object ...disguised as the same body with new flesh and skin
#Replica
A copy of the original, often a desire for the authentic, traditional and artisanal.
#Ghosts
What can we learn from the ghosts of the past and how might this allude to shaping of the future? William Morris continues to haunt our times, this time on the high street in the mass produced reproductions of his designs through a collaboration of past and present, H&M x Morris & Co. I think about the contradictory nature of Morris and how he would have reacted to this accessibility of his work today.
#Ghosts
What can we learn from the ghosts of the past and how might this allude to shaping of the future? William Morris continues to haunt our times, this time on the high st in the mass produced reproductions of his designs through a collaboration of past and present, H&M X Morris & Co. I think about the contradictory nature of Morris and how he would have reacted to these further contradictions today.
Last seen: 5 years ago