Crafts praxis for critical wearables design

This paper treats the contemporary craft market as an under-researched resource for wearable computing, and investigates the alternative values and experiences that contemporary craft may be able to contribute to the design of personal technological products. It offers an analysis of contemporary craft for its potential as a critical design resource with especial relevance to Wearable Computing and its broad development into the everyday. ‘Critical design’ is given a working definition for the purposes of the argument, and current practice in the contemporary craft genre of jewellery is analysed for its potential as a resource for a critical approach to Wearable Computing. Based on a set of semi-structured interviews with contemporary jewellery practitioners, the paper presents a set of propositions for a craft approach to wearables design, and these are illustrated through the Speckled Jewellery being made as part of the author’s doctoral research. Critical design Critical desi...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2007
• Where: AIS
• Authors: Sarah Kettley
• Keywords: AIS 2007, Artificial Intelligence, Contemporary Craft, Critical Design, Wearable Computing