Talk: James Fox, Craft Land: Britain’s Lost Arts and Vanishing Trades

Live talk with James Fox on his book Craft Land at Ilkley Literature Festival

I attended the live streamed event in which there was a discussion on the book and interview with James Fox, who is an art historian. He wrote the book to seek out the last remaining master craftspeople of Britain, finding out why the wisdom of them are more valuable than ever in this digital age.

'Britain has always been a craft land. For generations what we made with our hands defined our identities, built our communities and shaped our regions.'

The notes I took from the event...

• Half of British crafts endangered, a quarter critically endangered, each of which held by one single practitioner.
• Fox wanted to document the disappearing crafts and what has survived.
• Fascinated in the fact that these crafts continue in the craft peoples garages and spare bedrooms.
• Hundreds of years ago, every town/community had its own craft. It was all made locally due to the lack of transportation. Introduction of transport caused globalisation and undermined this localisation model. For example, every part of the country had its own particular basket. This is still about but predominately food and drink focused.
• Efforts on productivity; much is lost when things become streamlined.
• Legacy of craft is within us through our speech; 'we cotton onto something, line our pockets, feel hemmed in, two people cut from the same cloth...' All derived from textile production.

• On folks wanting to come back to hand crafted; 'something deep within us that ground us and yearns to handle things that are material objects, to make things.'
• This is the 4th craft revival in history. 1st arts and crafts, responding to industrialisation, then during the Great Depression, then the economic crisis of 70s. In these disorientated times, crafting something with your hands is grounding.
• Fox believes the trigger of 4th revival is due to the rising crisis of technology and the social change. Covid was a major accelerator as most people took up some form of craft or art. Sales tripled at the art and craft shop Hobbie Craft during lockdown. 
• Fox has little concern that AI will impact craft as it is not able to do what humans do. Even if it could, we wouldn't want it as we want the care and emotion that is attached to the hand made. 
• The interest and drive in self sufficiency is growing.
• Value of items when something is hand made. You feel the need and are more inclined to look after the item. To get them mended, as it feels more likely to be done local. You treasure a hand made item, it provides greater pleasure. Sense of connection to your environment, rather than the alienation of buying online from a factory a place that you don't know.
• The book celebrates the immense amount of skills in this country that are overlooked.
• What once was 'made in England' or 'made in Sheffield' is now 'made in China'.
• Britain once was 43% of the worlds manufactured exports.
• Hand crafted work can be extremely beneficial for the environment in comparison to mass produced. It gives the option to choose the more sustainable option.
• The problem is the inability to take on an apprentice, which most people cannot afford to do. Practical education is slipping away. There is an emphasis on stem subjects. There are immense economic benefits from educating people in this way, which will be lost.
• Craft is a living and vital tradition. The ones that survive fill the needs of society today. Not a performative practice, but something that responds to the current climate, the social need.
• Quote from the book from a man and his craft; 'It's a work of art... come off it; it's a bloody crab pot.' Beauty is not what they are trying to do; they are making functional objects. The beauty emerges with how well it is equipped to perform its function.

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CRAFT NEEDS TO RESPOND TO THE CURRENT CLIMATE AND SOCIAL NEEDS TO SURVIVE.