On Craftsmanship

Craftsmanship has again become fashionable in high places just as it did in the last few recessions.. The concept of craftsmanship has never been as relevant and timely as it is today. Assailed on all sides by among many other tendencies - flexible working short-termism portfolio careers quick-fix training and the cult of celebrity it has recently re-entered public debate with a new sense of urgency. Why?. A bestseller in hardback this series of linked essays by the man who ran the Royal College of Art for many years is now available in paperback and explores the crafts in education in history and literature in the contemporary arts landscape in the language in the digital age taking an unsentimental hard-headed look at craftsmanship today. Only when the romantic cobwebs have been blown away it argues can the key importance of the crafts be fully understood.