artisan tools
200 years of Liverpool John Moores University
This set of miniature sculptures was made in response to Liverpool John Moores University’s 200 year anniversary. When researching the extensive history of the university, I discovered that the art school used to offer specialist courses in a variety of crafts. These courses have been discontinued over time, due to the decreasing appreciation of artisan skills in an increasingly industrialised society. These sculptures were made to honour this loss of craft education.
Each of these sculptures is no bigger than an inch in size, and are all representational of the actual tools used in the artisan courses. They aim to honour the level of skill and patience for labour needed for craftsmanship, through their fiddly construction.
Each of these sculptures is no bigger than an inch in size, and are all representational of the actual tools used in the artisan courses. They aim to honour the level of skill and patience for labour needed for craftsmanship, through their fiddly construction.
The lace making tools from this set of work were featured in the Liverpool John Moores Bicentenary exhibition in 2023, an exhibition of artwork made in honour of the university’s history, alongside authentic lace from the old lace making course
