Woes van Haaften

Tomorrow is the opening of the NEW CRAFT exhibition at Pon Ding in Taipei, Taiwan.

Retracing human history, all kinds of inventions and creations have made today’s life convenient and complete. Various craft technologies are widely used in life for benefit-oriented purposes.

Certain material best fits in certain production is just like an undoubted principle deeply inserted in our minds.

This kind of “the best proper way” thinking leads us to plain mindset and continuous duplication, which emphasizes pricing-efficiency and functionality and keeps us away from discovering the essence of materials, meanwhile neglecting the infinity of possibilities.

Nevertheless, we found that more and more creators try to return to the substance of materials with innovative ways in new forms beyond our imagination. Though you may be a little confused but you can’t tell them “You can’t do this”. Their appearance is like a new force to balance the old, and they define the new form of craftsmanship, so as we called “New Craft”.

In order to be able to discuss specifically about the development of New Craft, we presented 8 artists’ works which are invited by an emerging platform called “Post Modern Collection” in the Netherlands. Each and every work is a refreshing inspiration of adopting rust metal, 3D printing, CNC process, magnetic rubber, pottery and light clay…etc. By slowing down enough to feel, you can realize how the artists fall into the unknown and fight with the dilemma in the process of creation.

Whether it’s material or technique, or the interaction between the two, each piece is an independent reflection based on and beyond existing knowledge and operating processes.
The experimental steps that cannot be digitized make each work unique and original. Those unusual and elusive new perspectives make our socialized thinking gradually more optimistic.

If we can live in more sensational status, how would you feel bored to things around you? Humans have a changeable appearances and personalities, so as objects. If you would take away the preconceived of passive thoughts, everything would be fine.

This exhibition is a collaboration with Post Modern Collection, concept proposed by Pon Ding.