Do crafts die, can a new craft originate or craft has lost its essence in today's life. To know about it read it.

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Craft Cycle
Generally craft is an activity involving skill
in making things by hand. “Craft is
remembering that art is seen, felt and
heard as well as understood, knowing that
not all ideas start with words, thinking with
hands as well as head”. (Mark Jones;
Director, Victoria & Albert Museum (2001 -
2011)). “Craft is the knowledge of a
language and its expressive possibilities.
Shakespeare’s sonnets; Thonet’s bentwood
chairs; Shostakovitch quartets: all can be
described in terms of craft. Human
imagination can use craft to invent freely in
the world of ideas, materials and forms.
Thus are the worlds of design, art,
engineering, science and architecture all
born of craft”. (Amanda Game; Director,
The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh).
So, it can be briefed as “craft is a product
made according to artisans thought
process”. And there are several factors that
influence the thought process. Figure 1
show below:
With course of time this product
conceptualized undergo various changes
according to the changes occurring in
artisans surroundings.
Craft has also got affected with historic
revolution. “Craft has three historical
stages. First there is the time when
everything is craft. All processes of making
are hand processes, everything made,
whether utilitarian, ritual or merely
decorative (and often one cannot separate
these functions), is essentially a craft object.
Later, at least in Europe, from the
Renaissance onwards, it is possible to
distinguish two further stages of
development. There was an intellectual
separation between the idea of craft and
that of fine art, which eventually came to be
regarded as superior. This development is
one of the distinguishing marks of the
European Renaissance. Later still, with the
Industrial Revolution, there arrived a
separation between a craft object and the
thing made by a machine---an industrial
product”.
Edward Lucie-Smith
The Story of Craft, Cornell University Press,
1981
Craft cycle is a way to trace down changes.
Phases in Craft cycle are: conception phase
(utility of product to craftsmen isArtisan thought
process
Social factor
Economicfactor
Geographical factor
Political factor
Cultural factor
Figure 1: illustrating factors affecting artisan thought process.

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important), mass production and
consumption phase (when utility is mass
consumed via industrialization), fade out
phase (when consumers get bored of the
craft and product diversification occur) and
adornment phase (when initial utility of
product is lost and craft is used as mere
decoration or other use than mainstream).
Like any other product there is a product
life cycle of craft products too. There is
always a shift from functionality of product
to just decorative usage of that product.
Take example of Leather puppetry of
Andhra Pradesh.
Figure 1 Leather puppetry of Andhra
Pradesh. Source:
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dy
namic/00902/24KKNMSHI-
W185_G874_902907e.jpg
The craft of making leather puppets is
inextricably linked to the traditional folk
form of cultural expression, namely,
puppetry. Andhra Pradesh has a long and
rich history of leather shadow puppetry
(Tholu Bommalattha), which occupied an
important part of rural entertainment in the
state. Tollu means leather and bommalu
means dolls or figures. According to oral
tradition, the form originated in 200 BC
when it was patronized by the rulers of the
Satvahana dynasty. In the 16th century
during the reign of King Kona Reddy, a ruler
of the Vijayanagar Empire, a Telugu
manuscript entitled ‘Ramayana
Ranganathana’ was composed specifically
for the shadow theatre. Besides providing a
dramatic text of the famous epic story, the
manuscript also includes instructions for
the construction and decoration of puppets.
Tholu Bommalatta is a composite art
containing all the elements of fine arts:
music, sculpture, poetry and painting, both
traditional and folk. As early as the twelfth
century, the art of puppetry flourished in
Andhra Pradesh, narrating stories of
divinity, sometimes taking the divine
dimensions itself. Stories from the great
epics Ramayana and Mahabharata were
performed and went on for several nights.
The puppet shows had something for
everyone – divine epics for the devout; and
comic relief for the distracted. Puppetry is
still practiced today, especially during
festival occasions, although not many
puppeteers practice this art nowadays.
The puppet theatre is evolving with time,
with epics getting interwoven with popular
myths and tales. Performances that would
go on for 6 nights for Ramayana and 18
nights for Mahabharata are now reduced to

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just an hour’s show. Bright electrical lighting
has replaced mild earthen lamps but the
magical glow of the characters and their
phantasmagorical narratives still transport
the audience to the surreal world of divine
sagas.
Today, the puppeteers have diversified into
different products using the same craft; as
puppet shows are not a mainstream
medium of entertainment anymore. The
transparency and durability of the material
makes it perfect for lampshades and
screens, enlivening any dull, grey room.
So, it can be observed that THOLU
BOMMALATTHA have undergone changes
according to the craft cycle.
 Conception phase - Form originated
in 200 BC when it was patronized by
the rulers of the Satvahana dynasty.
Functionality of the product was
religious. Imparting stories of
Ramayana. Was exhibited only in
temples.
 Mass production and consumption
phase – By time this craft became
source of entertainment, along with
temples it is shown in villages. More
and more exposure towards this
craft developed.
 Fade out phase – Advent of
technology resulted in lost of spirit
of this craft. Cinema was a better
alternative. Contemporization of the
product developed like lampshades
and screens, awareness leather
puppetry show (HIV AIDS, Child birth
etc.).
 Adornment phase – It will happen
when the craft loses its real
functionality and besides it
contemporary products become
main stream. Till now this craft have
not reached this phase.
Today with government and NGO initiatives
there are various crafts that are emerging.
These crafts are at their nascent phase and
are developing to fulfill the utility
requirement. Take example of Nettle craft
of Uttarakhand.
Figure 2 Nettle craft source:
https://purvaaihomedecor.files.wordpress
.com/2013/12/hempnettle1.jpg
Initially nettle plant that is abundantly
grown in Uttarakhand was used by local
villagers. Leaves were used to make
vegetable and stem fibers were used to
make ropes for making cot (Respondent:
Mrs. Manju Belwal). As these were the
locally available materials for villagers to
live in harsh mountainous life. With time
people left this process as it was tedious
and more alternatives started to come in
market. But after the formation of
Uttarakhand there were two organizations (
Uttrakhand bamboo and fiber development
board (UBFD) and Alakhnanda ghaati shilpi

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federation (AGSF)) that tapped the
potential of Nettle craft practiced by local
people. Promoting this eco-friendly natural
fiber as livelihood option to the hill people
of Uttarakhand will give new dimension to
hill region. Through researches it is found
that nettle fiber has unique feature - Hollow
core useful in creating fabrics with thermal
properties, both warm and cool; Reputedly
antimicrobial, antibacterial and FIRE
RETARDANT ; Great resistance to wrinkling.
Thus this craft have been revived keeping in
mind functionality aspects of eco-friendly
and new fiber option for market. As this
craft is at developing stage lot of product
diversification have been not done till date.
It can be seen that this craft is at the initial
phase of craft cycle.
Conclusion:
Craft cycle is inevitable process for every
craft product. It consists of: Conception
phase, Mass production and consumption
phase, Fade out phase and Adornment
phase. These phases are affected by various
factors influencing artisans thought process.
Through craft cycle one can judge life cycle
of any craft and eventually develop craft
interventions for its development.
Bibliography:
Book: Thinking through craft; Author –
Glenn Adamson
Book: Handmade in India; Author – M.P
Ranjan and Aditi Ranjan
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/w/
what-is-craft/
http://www.scribd.com/doc/79647602/Craf
t-Expo-Final#scribd
http://www.jiyo.net.in/craft-skill-and-
technique.php?crID=11
http://gaatha.com/leather-puppets-of-
andhra-pradesh/
http://des.uk.gov.in/files/Certain_Innovativ
e_Ideas.pdf
http://www.srtt.org/casestudies/UBFDBcas
estudy-2.pdf
http://www.craftmark.org/sites/default/file
s/P038%20Leather%20Lamp%20Puppets_N
immalakunta.pdf
http://www.vintageimagecraft.com/history
-of-crafting.html