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Industrial Craft in Australia

Oral Histories of Creativity and Survival

Jesse Adams Stein

$398.95   $319.28

Hardback

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English
Springer Nature Switzerland AG
05 January 2022
This book is the first of its kind to investigate the ongoing significance of industrial craft in deindustrialising places such as Australia. Providing an alternative to the nostalgic trope of the redundant factory ‘craftsman’, this book introduces the intriguing and little-known trade of engineering patternmaking, where objects are brought to life through the handmade ‘originals’ required for mass production. Drawing on oral histories collected by the author, this book highlights the experiences of industrial craftspeople in Australian manufacturing, as they navigate precarious employment, retraining, gendered career pathways, creative expression and technological change. The book argues that digital fabrication technologies may modify or transform industrial craft, but should not obliterate it. Industrial craft is about more than the rudimentary production of everyday objects: it is about human creativity, material knowledge and meaningful work, and it will be key to human survival in the troubled times ahead.
By:  
Imprint:   Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Country of Publication:   Switzerland
Edition:   1st ed. 2021
Dimensions:   Height: 210mm,  Width: 148mm, 
Weight:   478g
ISBN:   9783030872427
ISBN 10:   3030872424
Series:   Palgrave Studies in Oral History
Pages:   252
Publication Date:  
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
1. Introduction: Re-evaluating Industrial Craft Through the Lives of Engineering Patternmakers.- 2. Navigating Class and Populist Politics in Contemporary Oral History Practice.- 3. The Patternmaker's Toolbox: Making Things on the Side in Industrial Craft Apprenticeship.- 4. Industrial Craft as Design Knowledge: Hidden Intermediaries of Design and Production.- 5. ‘Just Finishing’: From Manual Patternmaking to CNC Machine Milling.- 6. Not Fitting the Pattern: Women in Industrial Craft.- 7. Patternmaker-Artists: Creative Pathways for Industrial Craftspeople in the Context of Australian Deindustrialisation.- 8. Conclusion: Industrial Craft and Alternative Futures for Australian Manufacturing.

Jesse Adams Stein is an interdisciplinary design researcher and oral historian. She is a Senior Lecturer and ARC DECRA Fellow at the School of Design, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.

Reviews for Industrial Craft in Australia: Oral Histories of Creativity and Survival

“Stein offers distinctive insights into the political and creative economies of manufacturing technologies and the continued—though con­tested—role of industrial craftworkers within them. Though deeply rooted in the personal histories of Australian patternmakers, the book will be useful for scholars of craft, industrial labor, and manufacturing technologies across a range of global contexts and trades.” (Amanda Lanzillo, Technology and Culture, Vol. 64 (3), July, 2023) “Jesse Adams Stein’s important book explores the little-known world of engi­neering patternmaking, situates it within the context of long-term industrial decay, challenges common assumptions about the causes of that decline, and makes sug­gestions about what might reverse it. … the book’s photographs suggest, many of the pat­terns shaped by these craftspeople are incredibly beautiful. … This tightly ar­gued, incredibly rich text should be read not just by labour scholars and activ­ists, but also by progressive politicians and citizens.” (John Tully, Labour-Le Travail, Vol. 90, 2022)


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