Made by Hands of Britain
Made by Hands of Britain
27 January 2010
I would like by way of introduction to my self and my project include an overview and mission. I would love your comments and feedback - Gillian Montegrande
Website:
www.madebyhandsofbritain.com
“Live the Craft”
Company Overview and Mission:
A basket maker, Owen Jones, while creating one of his pieces for the television programme, Victorian Farm (BBC), informed the viewers that he was the only one, plying this particular craft, left in the country.
First impressions were of amazement and admiration, not only at the beauty of the finished product but of how ingenious human beings are at manifesting their creativity through their hands to make the things they need or desire, from the raw materials they find around them. Even though we are not all capable of producing everything we need by hand ourselves, we have an intrinsic curiosity towards such practices and a deep admiration for the people who perform them because even this techno-world in which we find ourselves today, we still use our hands to perform many practical tasks better than any machine will ever do.
“With increased urbanization and industrialization, people around the world seek ‘high touch’ experiences to counterbalance all the ‘high tech’ that surrounds them.” *
Thoughts were then concentrated towards the tragedy of losing such talents, skills and most important part of our heritage and how the development of a website, promoting handmade producers within the British Isles, with an aim to preserving or reviving those skills and industries (which might otherwise disappear for good, due to a lack of devotees), would go some way to addressing this serious issue as well as creating an effective commercial platform for those whose work we all covet simply because it is handmade.
“Another safeguarding measure proven particularly effective for strengthening traditional craftsmanship is to reinforce, traditional markets for craft products while also developing new markets, and whether domestic consumers or international tourists, people are attracted to handmade objects that embody the accumulated knowledge of craftspeople.”
To champion those people who have the care, passion and dedication to make a product or provide a service by hand, from concept to completion, producing something that is unique in style and of the best quality. A product, which by definition, speaks of its maker, the locale and indeed the country in which it is produced. In a world of homogenized, mass-produced, disposable items it is reassuring to know that there are people who still want to use their hands and ingenuity to create things that other people will still go out of their way to source. The Website will facilitate this union.
Indeed the website will also have the function of creating a community, a network for like-minded people, whether they be purchasers or producers, to come together to discuss, promote and comment on the handmade industry and foment relationships and collaborations between disciplines and individuals that, possibly, may not have otherwise occurred. There will be comprehensive resources available (via a Learning and Education Zone) to those visitors who seek, not only to purchase handmade products but become handmade producers themselves (possibly due to redundancy or desire for a change of career/lifestyle), either by attending courses and workshops or seeking advice from the more skilled and experienced.
“Many craft traditions have age-old systems of instruction and apprenticeship, and one proven safeguarding strategy is to reinforce and strengthen those existing systems by offering financial assistance to student and teacher to make transmission more attractive to both.” *
As it is the case that many of these industries are still carried out in rural areas it is my hope that the website, via effective Marketing and P.R., will go some way to help revitalise these local economies by helping the smaller producers remain competitive and commercially viable. It is also a fact that handmade producers seem to be instinctively aware of and in tune with their environment which in these times is something we could all benefit from and support.
British craftsmanship is one of our most important heritages and it has always been and will always be associated with excellence.
Products and Services: Ranging from Ceramics to Food through to Buildings and everything in between. As long as it is of a high quality and handmade using raw materials sourced from (wherever possible) and made within the British Isles.
The Ultimate Resource for those who produce things by hand, those who aspire to and those who seek them out.
