Public Lecture 26: Prem Chandavarkar: "On Craft and Design Practice"

Ever since the Renaissance, and especially from the early 20th century, the cutting edge of architecture has been driven by the creative originality of star personalities. This stands in stark contrast to the world of traditional handicraft that is predicated on a culture of anonymous creators committed to a traditional idiom. How do these two models compare? 

Recent developments in complexity theory will be used to argue that the complex and anonymous network of craftsmen is better suited to respond effectively to challenges of culture and ecology.

However, we cannot base our foundations on a nostalgic gaze. The lecture posited that one must dig deeper, critique the kind of consciousness we employ in design practice, and learn how to structure a contemporary practice that can simultaneously leverage modern developments as well as traditional craft.