Everything Has a Function
func·tion
/ˈfəNG(k)SH(ə)n/
noun
1.1.
an activity or purpose natural to or intended for a person or thing.
"bridges perform the function of providing access across water"
CADEAU 1921, EDITIONED REPLICA 1972 MAN RAY
I few years ago I read Howard Risatti’s book The Theory of Craft. At that time I had a lot of questions about craft, art, and the language we use for each. I was desperately looking for my place in the world as a maker. I was unsatisfied with the larger craft world which seemed to be dominated by artists who had taken over the word craft. They were making art i.e. sculpture with (historically) craft materials and techniques and calling it craft. I still have a hard time with it because I believe the core function of craft objects are utilitarian regardless of their decorative elements. They serve a useful or practical need like holding something—eggs or laundry in the case of a basket. Sever this utilitarian function and it becomes something else, art perhaps. For the most part I don’t let it bother me, I’ve moved on. Live and let live.
I read everything I could get my hands on. Peter Dormer’s The Culture of Craft was another great book full of essays from the thought leaders of the craft world. Adamson’s books are spoken highly of, though I’ve only managed to read one. But thanks to Risatti’s book, my understanding about the differences between art and craft comes down to their core function. This brought me to explore the word function and to examine it’s meaning and implications on my perceptions of human creations.
I think the word function is often used in a misleading way—especially when comparing an art object and a craft object. We may have heard or read statements like, “My spoons are functional”, “What I make is functional” or even, “I make functional art”. Maybe we have thought or said one or more of them ourselves. I know I have, except for the last. If we look deeper doesn’t everything that a human makes have a function? Or in another way, is there anything that a human makes that doesn’t have a function? Think about this.
Every object that a human makes serves a function, everything. There really are no exceptions. The object wouldn't exist otherwise. We may not understand the intended function(s) of any given man-made object, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were created to serve a function. There are gray areas and sometimes people attach more than one function to an object, which admittedly can be confusing. That brings up questions like, How does decoration influence function? Objects can have a distorted function too, consider Duchamp’s Fountain. Yes, I know that’s a landmine. Look it up if you aren’t familiar with ready made art objects. Duchamp simply willed a new function over a very utilitarian one. It’s a real mess. As confusing as it is the fact remains that both art and craft have functions.
There is a silver lining to this exploration. I realize that what I make is called Traditional Craft. The craftspeople making this type of craft are content making things bound to the object’s original or traditional utilitarian functions. Baskets are actual baskets for holding things, wooden spoons are able to be held by the hand and used for cooking, serving or eating regardless if the owner hangs it on the wall or displays it as an art object. I’ve thought long and hard about it—it’s the best fit I’ve found for what I do while standing in the perceived shadow of the larger craft world where innovation means severing the ties of the original function of a craft object. Thanks Duchamp!
Now, back to the statement “My spoons are functional”, which assumes that utilitarian function and craft objects in their basest form are intrinsically connected. This is not so different from art because art also has a very real function, tied directly to communicating feelings, ideas, etc. Although the function of art in contrast to craft’s is not primarily utilitarian, especially post-Renaissance, it is still a function nonetheless. And art’s function is important.
We are living in the Information Age. Data or information is everywhere. We’re drowning in it. Ironically, hyperbole and sophistry is everywhere in public discourse. I fear we have become so accustomed to blindly accepting these subtle and dishonest statements that its no surprise why we don’t stop to think about what we hear more often. “Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see” is fitting. I thought Bob Dylan came up this saying, but it was Poe. Ok, I know, I might be making a mountain out of an anthill by comparing a lack of understanding of the word function to a cultural inability to think for ourselves. I’ll move on.
Even though my perspective will continue to change and evolve I can say that art has a very real function, craft also has a very real function and everything man makes has a function. And I think the word function alone is a bad measure to compare things—especially art and craft. That’s not to say that the type of function isn’t important or even key. Why does this matter to me? I’m not sure. For me it’s necessary to look deeper into my beliefs, the how’s and why’s I’ve come to think certain things, and when the need arises, to be willing to reconsider those beliefs driven by new information or facts. Food for thought.
