Human beings evolved in a world where what they learned growing up prepared them for life and work as an adult. Typically little changed from one generation to the next. The knowledge and skills that people acquired could last a lifetime. Today technological change is transforming the world in ways and at a rate that has caused many to fear being left behind and unable to earn a living. However, such concerns are not new and have their parallels in the past.
Origins of The Arts and Crafts Movement
In seventeenth and eighteenth century England textile workers resisted the use of machines that enabled less skilled workers to outcompete them in terms of productivity and price. Perhaps the best known of such protest movements was the Luddites, who during the early nineteenth century fought against automation of their skilled work. Some lost their freedom, others their lives and many fell into generational poverty due to loss of their livelihood.
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain and accelerated during the nineteenth century. It resulted in millions of people losing jobs in the rural economy, which forced them to move to the growing industrial towns and cities, to find work in factories. While some commentators celebrated the growing wealth of Britain, others were critical of poor living and working conditions in the crowded cities and perceived loss of a stable society, tradition and natural cycles dominated by the seasons.
Philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, have long debated the nature of the human condition and an ideal society. In Britain during the Nineteenth century while most struggled to survive and a few increased their wealthy, some asked what would become of humanity if machines could produce previously hand crafted items faster and cheaper than any artisan. Looking at the society that was emerging around them, they wanted to build something better.
Augustus Pugin (1812-1852) promoted the importance of traditional craft skills in construction, using materials appropriate to a structure’s function. He wrote comparisons of contemporary town planning with what he considered to be the superior medieval approach and expressed a preference for simple furnisghings. Writer and social activist John Ruskin (1819-1900) believed division of labour in factories had reduced human beings to servitude. He wanted individuals to be involved in both the design and making of items, doing work that was fulfilling, as this would lead to better products and a healthier and happier population.
Growth of The Arts and Crafts Movement
Perhaps the best known of the proponents of the Arts and Crafts Movement was William Morris (1834-1896). While studying theology at Oxford University, he developed an interest in the work of John Ruskin and medieval art, architecture and crafts, such as stained glass, textiles and woodwork. Rather than follow a career in the Church, Morris decided to study architecture. Though his socialist ideals made Morris critical of the inequality in medieval society, work from that period influenced his creative career.
Inspired by the medieval trades and guilds, Morris and others set up workshops in which artists produce designs for items such as textiles, wallpaper, furniture and jewellery, which were then made by skilled artisans and sold to the public. They believed that people should be able to feel a sense of pride in their work, rather than being mere operators of machines, toiling under harsh conditions. A consumer society was also beginning to emerge, with a growing middle class that had disposable income, which it wanted to spend on desirable goods.
Ultimately the economic benefits of mass production enabled millions of first middle class and later working class people to buy products which would have been too expensive if made solely by artisans. Ironically this led to handmade arts and crafts being purchased primarily by the wealthy few who could afford them. However, the Arts and Craft Movement has inspired generations of artists, designers, artisans and architects through the twentieth and into the twenty-first century.
The Arts and Crafts Movement promoted the use of traditional skills to create handmade items, but it did not reject all use of machines. They could be used to complete some repetitive tasks, leaving people free to do more interesting work that engaged their creativity. The greater concern for Ruskin and Morris was the impact of industrialisation on society, individual well being and the environment which continues to challenge us today. The values of the movement might help us to find solutions.
Contemporary Relevance of The Arts and Crafts Movement
Many people might think of the Arts and Crafts Movement as escaping into the nostalgia as a retreat from modern society. However, the movement was deeply concerned with fundamental questions about societal values and the importance of finding meaning and purpose in life. These are questions that remain of great relevance today. Particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence and robotics, which some claim will soon displace most human workers from their jobs.
The Industrial Revolution led to construction of machines that replaced much of the physical labour people had previously done. Through the nineteenth century, twentieth century and into the twenty-first century this process has continued. It is said that new jobs emerged, which were better than dangerous and repetitive manufacturing jobs they replaced. For example, designing, managing and fixing machines. However, many skilled workers struggled to find employment and it is not clear whether new jobs will emerge if millions of knowledge workers are replaced by artificial intelligence.
It might be thought Luddites, supporters of the Arts and Crafts Movement and others opposed to the wholesale replacement of human workers by automated processes were hostile to technology and resistant to change. However, while they might have recognised the potential benefits of freeing people from some forms of dangerous and dehumanising labour, they wanted it to be replaced by something better. They were motivated by practical concerns about pay, labour conditions and wanted workers to benefit from improving, rather than declining, living standards.
Rather than an individual repeatedly carrying out one task in the production of an identical item on a production line, the Arts and Crafts Movement promoted the value of skilled artisans understanding and carrying out the whole process. The ability to make a complete item that others appreciate can provide a sense of personal fulfilment, in addition to an income. This was something apprentices trained under the old system of the trade guilds would have learned during years of study and practice.
‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be a beautiful.’ This William Morris quote might be thought of in purely decorative terms, but it can also have a deeper meaning. Decluttering and minimising as a way of finding greater value in fewer things and in particular other people and the world around us became popular in recent years. As the world fills with data and content, we can also be selective in what we consume to ensure we retain our own ability to think and understand on human terms.
Learning From The Arts and Crafts Movement
Perhaps the greatest value we can find in the Arts and Crafts Movement is the philosophy upon which it is was built and the questions it encourages us to ask. For example, just because we can automate something does not mean that we should if it can deliver more value to society when done by human beings. It is also important to recognise that though there are parallels with today there are also practical differences.
The technology changing our world is rapidly advancing and is not going to be uninvented. Some claim that AI will bring abundance to the many and free up people from repetitive work to be more creative. However, others predict it will increase the wealth and power of the few. Some might seek to escape by living off grid, but for most of the billions of people on our planet this is not feasible. Our challenge is to find a path that leads to a better future for the many.
Mass production gave rise to consumer society and enabled billions of people to buy products and services that centuries ago were only available to the wealthy few. However, people still value and pay more for unique hand made items due to the human creative story element. People also enjoy watching human chess champions compete, even though computers have out performed human players for decades. This points to the continuing value of human taste, insight, stories and voices, even as AI generated content proliferates.
Computers and the Internet provides access to more information than the great libraries of the past and AI outperforms humans in analytical tasks. However, only we understand our lived experience and can create original work drawing upon our thoughts and feelings. William Morris used his skill as a designer to create beautiful books and used printing presses to produce them in volume. The value was in his understanding of the meaning of what he did and why. AI and robotics might exceed us in many ways, but they are tools. The discussion about how they are used should concern us all.
