Visual analysis: Do we value craft and the analogue in the digital age? When considering craft and the analogue in the digital age it’s important to consider those who worked or work only in their craft, those who work completely digital, those who combine the two as discussed in Grayson Perry’s article ‘Are computer’s killing off craft? Not a chance’ and those who go against the tide completely and create something new from the digital advances and work using new methods. This essay is going to explore visuals from as early as the 1800s by William Morris to an illustration piece created in 2015. In his paper, Phil Taylor commented that students can sit ‘in front of an old, poorly operating typewriter’ to achieve an ‘unpredictable outcome’ and this links directly to one of my chosen images - figure 1, ‘Brick Lane/ Sclater Street’ (2015) a typic by typewriter artist Keira Rathbone. Immediately, it visually seems like a normal piece of artwork but it is in fact made up of marks from a manual typewriter. Without intention ‘the simple act of typing’ for her ‘becomes a performance’. (Rathbone, typewriter art: a modern anthology) and this enhances her work as each stroke of a key and each imprint is a texture or shape that builds up to complete the drawing. This piece (figure 1) was completed on Brick Lane/ Sclater Street and so the location becomes paramount to the piece - she captures the hectic vibes through working fast. Movement is captured in the piece through the obscure figures but the permanent historical buildings can clearly be made out. The composition of the piece is interesting as there is a clear understanding of perspective with a line of view leading the eye of the viewer down the street/lane. The artist has also incorporated text to give the second audience viewing the artwork in the Brick Lane gallery exhibition more context. The text won’t be for the primary audience, those passing by seeing the piece come to life, as it will be apparent what the subject matter is due to her chosen street location. Similarly, in the second image analysed, ‘Trellis’, (figure 2) a William Morris wallpaper, location is key to the contents. ‘Trellis’ was designed just after moving to the Red House and was inspired by the gardens which were arranged in a Medieval style. There were roses growing over trellises which enclosed the flower beds and in the wallpaper design that is what can be seen (figure 2). The Design reform movement also had a big impact on the design - it was a ‘compromise between the boldly coloured pectoral patterns which were then popular with the general public, and the formalised flat patterns in muted tones which were promoted by this movement.’ (V&A museum website, accessed 2017) Morris (along with Ruskin) was a key component in the arts and crafts movement which was made up of English designers and writers who wanted a return to ‘well-made, hand crafted goods instead of mass-produced, poor quality, machine made items’ (BBC website, accessed 2017) and this is clearly evident in his work. In my chosen image (figure 2) the design has been chiselled in to wood. It is a wood block that has been printed - hand cut and prepared by a chosen specialist firm. There are no digital aspects to his work unlike in my third chosen image…
Figure 3 is a risoprint by illustrator Louise Lockhart. It is a very current piece for the client ‘The Skinny’ which goes by the phrase ‘independent cultural journalism’. The production of her work leads the aesthetic as she hand cuts the shapes and scans them in to work with them on the computer. The importance of ‘the presence of the hand’ that Crow discusses in his essay comes to light as the presence of Lockhart’s hand is very evident through her use of crude shape. Her work has a charming naivety to it and looks completely analogue almost like a screen printed piece. She has used only three colours in the piece plus the stock which aids the piece in being appropriate for both genders, it has a full composition of organised vignettes all showing different aspects of student life and I find that those areas with more colours layered up are more striking and of more interest. The textures in the piece are lovely and part of the charm which may be intentional and linked to the contents of the pieces and the connotations of ‘cheap’ and low budget life as a student. The printing method for this piece is risograph, a ‘highspeed, photo-copier meets mimeograph printing system’, ‘produced for high volume copying and printing back in the mid 80s’ and a ‘more affordable option’ (people of print website). This is key to the subject in question of the analogue and digital as it is a clear example of the two fusing together. As Perry states ‘to get great results the user has to be just as sympathetic to the material effects of a particular digital technique’ and this sums up Lockhart’s practice and process so well. In terms of use of technology and the machine, Keira Rathbone, artist of figure 1, almost goes against Crow when he states ‘no machine could replace the sensitivity of hands’ by taking a machine, a manual typewriter, and through the relationship between her fingers and the keys, she very much so gets across this sense of ‘sensitivity’. It is interesting how she changes its function to create a unique drawing technique and produce the work she wants, going against new media theory. Perhaps Morris, figure 2, would appreciate Rathbones work and its hand crafted nature which is heavily part of the arts and crafts movement. Although the three of my chosen images are very different there are similarities linked to the artists chosen processes and means of production. Through history and now in the current day there is a constant uncertainty to the appeal of the digital and having followed through with this visual analysis I believe it will continue for many years allowing artists to conform and oppose. Figure 1 - Keira Rathbone image Figure 2 - Trellis William Morris Figure 3 - Louise Lockhart