There are two modes of production that exist in China virtually side by side which stand in polar opposition to each other. There is the world of mass-manufactured goods, which consist of synthetic things with switches and buttons and lights that are shot out the end of factory assembly lines, and then there is that [...]
Craftsmanship
-
Old-Fashioned Chinese Pressure Cooker Making Pop Rice
An old man makes pop rice with an old-fashioned pressure cooker. Tools and devices such as this are fast becoming forgotten relics in a China racing for the future.
-
Rugs Yarn and Tapestries in Teotitlan Oaxaca
The following is a photo entry from Chaya Shepard about visiting the artisan workshops and woven tapestry stores in Teotitlan, Oaxaca. This is a spinning wheel in front of a loom in the entrance of a home in Teotitlan. This is a typical style loom in the city. They have two foot pedals that the [...]
-
Traveling Jewelry Artisan and Silversmith Interview
They travel as a family through the world selling jewelry.
-
Bedouin Tattoos in Jordan
Tattooing has long been a custom for both Bedouin men and women. Today, the old style can still be seen over the hands and faces of older men and women, and it is very common for young men to still get tattooed with modern designs on their upper and lower arms. The tradition of hand [...]
-
Carving into the Ancient: Woodcarvers in India
JAIPUR, India- I was picked up in the morning at the front gate of the Rajasthan Hotel by the master wood carver, Umesh Singh, and we rode off on his motorcycle through the busy streets of Jaipur. As we criss-crossed lanes of exhaust spewing traffic, dodged holy cows, honked at broken down beggars, and plowed [...]
-
A Dying Art – Traditional Japanese Tattoo
KYOTO, Japan- It was the apex of spring in Japan: the cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the fierce winter winds had died down to a gentle, welcoming hum. I was on a bus with an acquaintance headed to Kitaoji Dori, a fashionable district in downtown Kyoto. There, I would be formally introduced to [...]
-
Woodblock Print Artist Justin Catania
When I walked into Chaya’s Brooklyn apartment for the first time I ran smack into a 10 foot tall face of an old man with a long beard staring me down. The enormous portrait was carved out of wood and was gazing at me with eyes as large as my cranium. All of the details [...]
Comments