Otherwise unobtainable: The applied arts and the politics and poetics of digital technology

This chapter was the first serious look at cultural relationships between the applied arts and the new technology. The essay had its origins as a keynote speech given at the first Pixelraiders conference held at the VandA in 2002. The essay looked specifically at the unlikely congruence between craft practice and new media, giving an art historical context to such activity. Inspired in part by Malcolm McCullough's 'Abstracting Craft' and Lev Manovich's 'The Language of New Media' the essay also sought to make connections with the 19th Century's passion for reproduction technologies (both in print and 3D form). The research involved extended conversations with young practitioners and the study of a range of computer numeric tools and types of software.