Posted by June 2019 – My paper, “Design Computation and Restoring Craftsmanship: The Bailey-Derek Grammar in Wire-Bending” was published in the proceedings for CAADFutures 2019 in Korea. The theme of the conference was “Hello Culture!”
Cite this paper: Noel, Vernelle A. A. 2019. “Design Computation and Restoring Craftsmanship: The Bailey-Derek Grammar in Wire-Bending.” In Hello Culture, 506–525. Daejeon, Korea.
Abstract: Craft knowledge, practices, and communities are vanishing due to globalization, automation, and techno-centric developments. This paper evaluates a computational design tool – the Bailey-Derek Grammar – for restoration of craftsmanship in the practice of wire-bending. By conducting workshops, interviews and surveys, document and artifact analyses, I examine the role of the Grammar in repairing the craft. The results shed light on how a computational description of tacit knowledge in the form of a shape grammar aids in restoring technical knowledge and skill in a craft. Results also indicate that the computational design tool promotes democratization of the craft by creating new forms of practice, and new roles for participation and engagement.