### Record Type:: [[Claims]] ValueofCraft:: [[Historical value of craft]] ### Outline Craft constitutes a complex universe that testifies to human beings’ continuous capacity to resolve problems, innovate and adapt. Past craft methods reflect man’s capacity for complicated production processes, be it the weaving of the legendary Dhaka muslin or the manufacturing of the famed Damascus sword using wootz steel. The word technology is itself a reflection of the merging of the art/skill of the hand (techne) with knowledge (logia). Once the knowledge is lost, however, it becomes difficult to replicate and is ultimately a great loss of culture, skill and know-how. The making of the Dhaka muslin yarn is a case in point (Gorvett, 2021). The taming of the very short and rough fibres involved 16 specialised steps that demanded the engagement of whole village communities. It was so complex that many in the West doubted it could have been created by human hands. The 1,200 thread count gave it its legendary reputation for lightness and softness. Eventually, woven muslin lost out to the mechanised loom and became extinct. Recent attempts to revive the craft in Bangladesh were unable to replicate what had been lost. ### References %% DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: start ```dataview list summary from [[Claim - Craft attests to continuous human innovation]] where contains(file.path,"Warp") ``` %% - [[Warp/The ancient fabric that no one knows how to make.md|The ancient fabric that no one knows how to make]]: The production of Dhaka muslin involves the most intricate techniques. %% DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: end %%