Draft:Post-DigitalCraft

Post-Digital Crafts

Introduction

The term “post-digital craft” (or post-digital crafts) generally refers to creative practices that blend digital technologies with traditional making. It emphasizes the productive negotiation between digital technologies and handcraft, framing craft as an active process or practice rather than a fixed category.

Origins

The label post-digital craft emerged in the early 2010s alongside discussions of the post-digital era—the recognition that digital technologies had become ubiquitous and that designers were beginning to look beyond them as mere novelty. Throughout that decade, architecture and design discourse increasingly examined how widespread digital tools such as 3D printing, CNC machining, and artificial intelligence were reshaping the concept of craftsmanship.

Notable Artists

Artists associated with Post-Digital Crafts include Stephanie Syjuco, Morehshin Allahyari, Faith Holland, Annie Bissett, Kirsty Whitlock, Nick Cave, and Caroline Woolard. Their work merges traditional craft practices such as sewing, embroidery, printmaking, and woodworking with digital technologies like 3D printing, algorithmic design, and augmented reality.

Exhibitions

Major exhibitions such as those held at the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) highlight the role of post-digital crafts in contemporary art. These exhibitions showcase works that blend digital technology with traditional craft, emphasizing themes of human agency, cultural context, and material engagement.