The Chair of Tutankhamun

Abstract

Craftsmanship involves values, technical reasoning and a tradition that has changed little over the centuries. It can never be placed in opposition to new technologies. Craftsmen have used existing machines and designed new ones. In fact, the craftsman makes technical advance possible. However, the craftsman’s workshop is not controlled by machines. His approach is different to the industrial approach. He applies all his faculties to performing a given task, and the work is not fragmented. The tradition of the craftsman is determined by aesthetics, tradition and taking the time the job needs. This is only possible when the craftsman is in control of his means of production. The integrity of the craftsman lies in the tools and machines he makes himself. To a craftsman a tool is an object that mechanically shapes the raw materials of nature into a desired form for a particular purpose. Therefore the computer cannot be regarded as a tool, but it could be a useful data machine.