A Shadow of Craft
Project by Topher Gent
A Shadow of Craft is a series of projects focused on critical craft and the implications of digital technologies for makers. A core component of research has been geared towards the intersections art, craft, and design, as well as the materiality of digital processes and digitally produced objects, positioned adjacent to the objecthood of digital artifacts. Through a primarily reflective practice in ceramic materials and processes, this project considers the importance of making in an increasingly digital world, by fusing digital methods such as machine learning and 3D printing into traditionally handcrafted processes.
Who is Topher?
Topher is a furniture and object designer and craftsman. His background in design and product development ranges from jewelry and luxury goods to furniture and lighting, all of which influence his interdisciplinary studio practice. Through objects and form, Topher explores the conflicts and dualities of excess and minimalism, as well as human relationships to making, craft, and design objects. He is interested in Critical Craft Theory and the influence of digital objects on contemporary material culture. Most recently, his research has been focused on the intersections of handcraft and modern manufacturing technologies.
