For thousands of years, people have created everyday objects with their bare hands. Today, when local production and environmental sustainability once more are high on the agenda, interest for craftsmanship has increased in an explosive manner.
In the book Handkraft, we get to know ten craftsmen from different generations – from the young tattoo artist Sofie, who has been educated in Asia, to the 80-year-old puppet maker Arne, who has collaborated with both Ingmar Bergman and the rock group Teddybears. We also get to meet the wallpaper makers Sara and Mats, who revive old wallpaper patterns in their workshop at Långholmen in Stockholm; the upholsterer Helena, who learned the profession from her father; and many others. With their bare hands, these contemporary craftsmen pass down ancient traditions. At the same time, they are firmly anchored in their own times, and use today’s social networks in a close dialogue with colleagues and clients all over the world.
In our digital everyday, crafts have paradoxically had a renaissance. Handmade and locally produced items are more socially and environmentally sustainable, while they also provide meaning and reconnect contact with our human roots. In living texts and inspiring images, we narrate the often thousands-year-old histories behind the different craftsmen professions, while the book also offers unique insights into the daily work of the craftsmen.
Handkraft is written by the art and design journalist Bo Madestrand, among other things known as critic in Dagens Nyheter and editor for the design journal Form. The photographer Klara G has taken the photographs, while Pompe Hedengren is behind the graphical form. The book is published in conjunction with the 175th birthday of the organisation Stockholms Hantverksförening, and will also be accompanied by an exhibition at Sven-Harrys konstmuseum in Stockholm during autumn 2022 – where many of the craftsmen will participate with their work.
Arvinius + Orfeus Publishing AB
Olivecronas Väg 4
113 61 Stockholm
Sweden
