"Handmade" How the physical and connotative value of handmade products can influence mass-production.

(An essay by Robert Hankey)

(download complete copy) Conclusion follows:

Handmade objects, particularly those showing free/rough workmanship, can be seen to possess a rare aesthetic quality. This alone can give them value in a society where differentiation is paramount. However, as with almost all objects today, it is the circle of narratives that surrounds a handmade object which are more far-reaching than its physical qualities alone. Such narratives of ‘the handmade’ can infer singularity and exclusiveness. They provide a story that associates the object back to its cultural origins, making reference to other meanings or values that are related to this. They can also suggest the belonging or connection to a specific cultural group.

Handmade objects are certainly not alone in creating these types of narrative. Brand names, designer labels and celebrity endorsements, for example, can create images of exclusiveness and singularity. Imagery on products can relate them to types of music, films, or sporting clubs: in tern creating a cultural backdrop to the product and inferring elements of personal belief or interest.

Where handmade objects differ from the majority of those which have been mass-produced, is that the connotations they describe are all connected directly to the product itself (usually via its production). The opposition to mass-production’s aesthetic/cultural image; the appreciation of the skill involved in production; exclusivity produced due to the cost of production; authenticity because of human production; and souvenirs of the production story. This could be labelled the intrinsic value of handmade objects: a value that is inherent to the object.

Most of the mass-produced objects that surround us have meanings and stories attached to them. These however customarily have little or no relevance to the object itself, but rather their connotations are related to consumer culture. Consider the extreme example of a child’s lunchbox. The child may be inseparable from this lunchbox; he loves it and takes it with him everywhere. This is only the case however, because it has the picture of his favourite TV programme – ‘Bob the Builder’ – plastered all over it! The child loves ‘Bob the Builder’, not the lunch box. (Such relationships are not by any means limited to children and their objects; consider a football shirt, a Burberry-check handbag or a car with a brand new registration number.) These objects are valued largely for their meanings and the immaterial things they represent.

Connotative meanings provide an arena “...where the objects become interchangeable and circulated as signs (of status, wealth, “good design” etc.)” (Horrocks, C. 1996: 26). Meanings can be exchanged for other ones; they can also disintegrate or change over time. Bob the Builder may be flavour of the month, but two months down the line... who knows what will be ‘the best’? Our society is one in which products can be discarded or replaced easily. Objects are frequently bought not because of the object itself but because of the meaning it possesses. This meaning is exchangeable and therefore the product’s durability is fragile.

“It is only when a products meaning is firmly anchored in its materiality, that it can not be replaced at any time by another artifact with the same immaterial connotations. Things should direct attention towards themselves instead of just being a material embodiment of meaning.” (Verbeek, P. Source: Hinte, E. 1997: 105) It is in this way that handmade objects can be more durable than those of mass-production. They have an intrinsic value: one that is centred on its materiality; any non-material connotations are directly related to the object’s material substance or its production. With such a direct link between object and meaning, the physical substance of the object becomes just as important as the connotations behind it: they are dependent on each other. Thus creating a physical attachment between user and product and in doing so improving the product's durability.