Dear João, Melle and Martin
Thank you for bringing up Sennett - at least in interaction design his work is mostly discussed in relation to “crafting” as a specific perspective on design processes that encompass an intimate relationship between the thinking and doing of a designer practicing his craft. Sennett, like Schön, Pye and even Ingold, strongly emphasise a conversational and experimental view of the relationship between thinking and doing, like in this quote by Sennett from the Craftsman: "Every good craftsman conducts a dialogue between hand and head. Every good craftsman conducts a dialogue between concrete practices and thinking; this dialogue evolves into sustaining habits, and these habits establish a rhythm between problem-solving and problem-finding”.
In my own dissertation I emphasised the conversational and experimental interplay of materials and designerly thinking. I drew on John Deweys pragmatism to highlight the interplay of materials and designerly thinking in interaction design and participatory design (thus aligning myself quite closely with Schön too, since his work in many ways are a development of Dewey). So in summary I definitely think that Sennett has his place in interaction design theory especially if one focuses specifically on the design process. I have some ideas for developing and exploring Sennetts ideas of the relationship between what Sennett calls “the workshop” and design processes in practice - and would love to discuss this offlist too (in order to not flood the list with a very narrow theoretical discussion).
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Nicolai Brodersen Hansen
PhD, Postdoctoral researcher
Centre for Advanced Visualisations and Interaction
Centre for Participatory Information Technology
Phone: +45 22897778
Office: 5347-217
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Web: www.designmaterials.dk<http://www.designmaterials.dk>
http://cavi.au.dk/research-areas/cibis-creativity-in-blended-interaction-spaces/
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On 30 Jan 2017, at 09.03, Salisbury, Martin <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Dear João,
Thank you for raising this topic. You are correct that Sennett's book is rarely, if at all, mentioned on this list. The same is true of, for example, Christopher Frayling's 2011 collection of essays, 'On Craftsmanship: towards a new Bauhaus' (I particularly like the chapter 'Skill- a word to start an argument') or 'Power of Making: The importance of being skilled' (V&A/ Crafts Council, 2011). And Bruno Munari gets only an occasional mention!
You ask why this is. I would hazard a guess that this may partly be because, in recent years, some regular contributors to the list have been inclined to express the view that 'designing' and 'making' (and 'research') are, or should be, distinctly separate activities (it's those boxes again). It is a stance that has tended to sit comfortably with the traditional university notion of 'academic'.
It is refreshing to read contributions from those of you who are engaged in practice-based research in these areas.
Best,
Martin
Professor Martin Salisbury
Course Leader, MA Children's Book Illustration
Director, The Centre for Children's Book Studies
Cambridge School of Art
0845 196 2351
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http://www.cambridgemashow.com
http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/microsites/ccbs.html
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From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of João Ferreira [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2017 7:01 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Richard Sennett’s The Craftsman — is it irrelevant for design theory?
Ladies and gentleman, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends,
Previous note: Having been indirectly referred in Ken Friedman's original post in the Our New Age of Contempt thread, I felt obliged to make a modest — and fundamentally improvised — contribution to gear discussion on this list (as Mauricion Mejía remarked) back to “design research and PhD design education discussions”. I have said before that being a member of this list is an extraordinary privilege; the way some outstanding authors engage in frank and generous (to all of us reading) discussion is a joy.
Anyway, on with the show.
I have the impression that Richard Sennett’s "The Craftsman" (2008) is seldom cited in journal papers about design. I wonder why that is.
I have read it a couple of times and found his concept of craftsmanship interesting in itself (as a way to describe all human endeavour) and quite insightful for design. At first reading, I gathered that Sennett's idea of craftsmanship interestingly parallels Donald Schön’s conception of design as reflective-practice. Similarly to Schön, Sennett also concentrated on the professions as a whole, and stated that all human activity involves a sort of craftsmanship that the author defines as “the desire to do a job well for its own sake” (p.9). But while the latter is often (and rightfully, I would add) cited the former is (it is my perception) thoroughly ignored.
I find it interesting to note the similarities between Sennett’s description of practice where “every good craftsman conducts a dialogue between concrete practices and thinking; this dialogue evolves into sustaining habits, and these habits establish a rhythm between problem solving and problem finding.” (p.9) and how Schön (1983) defined designing:
I shall consider designing as a conversation with the materials of a situation. A designer makes things. Sometimes he makes the final product; more often, he makes a representation—a plan, program, or image—of an artefact to be constructed by others. He works in particular situations, uses particular materials, and employs a distinctive medium and language. (p.99)
I would also highlight Sennett's critical analysis of the problematic of the predominance of CAD in architecture studios as insightful for anyone interested in design (and drawing in particular).
Therefore, I would at least expect to see Sennett's name pop up every once in a while, but perhaps his work is still recent?
To the design teachers on this list: is The Craftsman referenced in your classes at all? Do you find his conception of craftsmanship a useful framework to understand design?
Sennett, R. (2008). The craftsman. Yale University Press.
Schön, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic books.
'best,
João Ferreira
PhD candidate TU Delft
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João Ferreira
00351 967089437
0031 0619808750
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