Paper short abstract:

In this photo essay I want discuss from the point of view of a professional photographer, rather than an anthropologist, some of my experiences as an active participant in the HANDMADE project.

Paper long abstract:

In this photo essay I want discuss from the point of view of a professional photographer, rather than an anthropologist, some of my experiences as an active participant in the HANDMADE project. I want to reflect on what, if anything, may change in my approach to photography and my usual practice of photographing when they become part of a research-driven collective process of attending to the sensory experiences, body techniques and gestures associated with skilled material practices. Is there a difference when a photo is taken in relation to an exhibition about craft and when it is taken in order to understand or raise a question about craft? I will be focusing in particular on a series of event-specific photographs of the potters’ performances and actions in which we have been trying to capture specific ‘moments’ in the process of making. I will also use some characteristic photographs to offer some personal recommendations on how best to harness the ability of photographing to materialise and communicate process by condensing time and movement and avoiding the aesthetic mystification of craft and the processes of making.