Paper short abstract:

The distinction between craft and aesthetics is alien to Japanese artists/ans who have reacted by producing some extraordinary exhibition pieces within the global community. This paper will discuss Japanese ideas that underpin the care and beauty passed on through generations of skilled craftspeople, sometimes designated as ´living national treasures´, and attempt to assess them in a global context.

Paper long abstract:

Imposing an alien distinction between aesthetics and craft on Japanese artists/ans has resulted in some interesting productions which have been given exhibition space around the supposedly globalised world. In practice Japanese craftspeople have for long operated within different frames of learning and production, and their contributions to the global art world are sometimes surprising and confounding, but usually aesthetically stunning. This could explain their popularity, and certainly the notion of intangible cultural heritage has influenced Unesco definitions and the value accorded craftwork elsewhere. This paper proposes to introduce some of the framework that suppports the training and exercise of crafts of various types in Japan - from houses and household goods to gardens and ephemeral productions such as flower arrangements - and add an anthropological analysis in line with the aims of the session. There may be some parallels made with other Pacific cultures, but this plan has yet to be developed!