Prototype: Craft in the Future Tense

It may not be immediately apparent what an artist has in common with a biomedical engineer or what links an architect with a business innovator but it should become clearer at a major symposium being held at the University of Dundee this summer as part of a nationwide celebration of craft in Scotland.

Hundreds of the world’s top innovators in a variety of fields will gather in Dundee in June for 'Prototype: Craft in the Future Tense', a two-day symposium co-convened by Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

'Prototype: Craft in the Future Tense' will look at the importance of prototyping and how it can be used to enhance understanding and collaboration across disciplines.

Invited speakers include conceptual artist Simon Starling, winner of the 2005 Turner Prize; Michael Schrage, an internationally acclaimed innovator and pioneer of rapid prototyping; Constance Adams, a space architect and consultant to NASA; and Norman Klein, a cultural critic, historian and novelist based at the Californian Institute of the Arts.

Biomedical engineer Dr Stuart Brown, leader of the Surgical Technology Group at the University’s Institute for Medical Science and Technology, and Hazel White, director of the Masters of Design programme at DJCAD, will also be speaking at the event held in the Dalhousie Building at the University on June 10th and 11th.

'All the speakers have been invited because of their progressive thinking - they all push the boundaries,' said Dr Louise Valentine, co-director of Craft Festival Scotland, the parent event of the symposium.

'A diverse range of perspectives concerned with innovation and ingenuity will be presented and we are hoping that this will stimulate unusual conversations and debate. It is aimed at exploring the many and radical ways people from across disciplines are experimenting with and sharing ideas.'

The symposium and Craft Festival Scotland, the nationwide celebration of craft taking place this summer, have both arisen from Past, Present and Future Craft Practice (PPFCP), a major five-year craft research project funded by the Art and Humanities Research Council and led by Professor Georgina Follett, Dean of DJCAD and Deputy Principal of the University of Dundee, and Dr Valentine.

The project has been exploring new directions, practices and perspectives in contemporary craft with an ultimate goal of defining a new relevance for craft in the 21st century.

'The project was the largest investment in craft research in the UK,' said Dr Valentine. 'Craft research is a new form of practice and Dundee is recognised as leading the way in this.

'We will now be showcasing the results of our research through Craft Festival Scotland. It is a way of evaluating the project and disseminating the ideas and giving people the opportunity to see what is going on in the sector. The symposium is a major part of the festival. We’re hoping it will highlight and celebrate the diversity of craft in the 21st Century.

'There are still stereotypical perceptions about what is craft and if things don’t fit into certain categories then there is a feeling that it is not craft but we want to show that craft covers a wide and diverse area and includes people like biomedical engineers and architects.

'We will be looking at how they develop their ideas and what can be learned from different approaches to prototyping.'

For more information symposium and the festival visit www.dundee.ac.uk/djcad/prototyping