>[!NOTE]+ Meta Author:: [[Patricia Flanagan]] Reference:: https://garlandmag.com/loop/tricia-flanagan-tracing-the-gestures-of-craft/ Date:: [[2021-07-06]] Tags:: #warp/talk #China #embroidery WeftLinks:: [[Reinventing the Wheel]] ### Summary Patricia Flanagan began by offering a story about her background, focusing on the experience of heritage crafts in Hong Kong, such as the scales for weighing Chinese medicine. She noted that some were cagey about being interviewed because they were wary of losing their livelihood. Others were desperate to share their knowledge. She spoke about her interest in bridging the abstract and tangible realms by translating material processes into fungible code. In this way, the design interprets the language of materials, rather than simply imposing a form. Her work leveraged "beauty technologies" such as nail polish and eyelashes. She gave details of her project with the horsehair embroiderers of the Shui ethnic minority in Guiyang, China. This craft is more than 1,000 years old and practised by around 1,000 women who are keen to continue it. It involves twisted string, design drawings, couching, intertwining inlay threads and double needly inlay. Patricia showed scenes of the women singing while they worked. Her methodology was based on the work of Jules Prown, which involved a formal analysis that was empathetic and sensual. Specially colour coded fingernails enabled the tracking and recording of finger movements. These then were able to be transposed into other forms. She is currently working with the Embroiderers Guild and potentially Lacemakers Guild to produce samplers from these gestures. The discussion that followed raised some important issues. Patricia's research opens new possibilities for the creation of "knowledge" from the haptic process. But there are important cultural factors at play. The work with Shui embroiderers contrasts with the situation in Chile where the horsehair weavers are quite distrustful of those seeking to learn their skills. This opens the question of cultural differences in the design to protect or share craft knowledge. <div style="display: block; position: relative; width: 100%; height: 0px; --aspect-ratio:9/16; padding-bottom: calc(var(--aspect-ratio) * 100%);"><iframe src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/firescript-577a2.appspot.com/o/imgs%2Fapp%2FWheel%2FtNWT8DUae3.pdf?alt=media&amp;token=415c5dab-3630-4c90-aa3b-1782af6cdd97" allow="fullscreen" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; height: 100%; width: 100%;"></iframe></div> <div style="display: block; position: relative; width: 100%; height: 0px; --aspect-ratio:9/16; padding-bottom: calc(var(--aspect-ratio) * 100%);"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.be/embed/WJk4hFV2BxU" allow="fullscreen" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; height: 100%; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>