Abstract

This thesis is an exploration of the notion of collective crafting among women, and its influence on the community and the sense of belonging. How does it affect the feeling of empowerment of the individual? How does making things together bring people closer to each other? Why do we create group structures and how do they influence us?

I begin this thesis by defining the meaning of collectivity and craft and contextualising these notions within broader historical narratives. In this process, I draw on Silvia Federici’s “Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women” to reflect on the position of women in society. I continue by taking a closer look at an essay “The Storyteller” by Walter Benjamin which portrays crafting as a way of processing memory, knowledge production as well as a means of an intergenerational exchange of experiences. Lastly, I focus on a case study from the Polish countryside, which illustrates how collective crafting helps to preserve local culture and connect generations of women.

Introduction

I feel that collectivity has been a theme in my life since I was a small child. Growing up with two sisters made me feel like I could always count on their company. Though I had a strong sense of independence from a very young age, I always felt the need to have them around. Being around my sisters gave me a sense of belonging. I could be honest and feel appreciated exactly as I was. Growing up together meant constantly rediscovering both ourselves and each other. Every year we grew, changed and adapted. We would support each other, exchange experiences and cheer each other’s successes. It was always a collective effort.

As I understand it, a collective is a group of people that shares a common goal and motivation. It is based on mutual support of members of the group. It creates a space of trust and belonging, which enables and facilitates pursuing the shared objective.

Looking back, I think that our shared activities were the moments which really gave us space to connect. Going for walks, playing, drawing or making things with playdough allowed us not only to get closer, but also develop confidence in expressing our ideas and, paradoxically, by positioning ourselves in a group, strengthen our autonomy. Some might think that it created a sense of competition among us, I would say it was the opposite. It made us realise that each has a unique way of being, creating and crafting.

Crafting means making something with your hands, exercising a skill. Craft, ‘Cræft’ from Old English, means strength, skill ^[1]

I believe that this base of trust and safety influenced me a lot as a person. It boosted my confidence and made me realise what my strengths are and what influence they have on others. I felt empowered.

Once a group of people who share a trust in each other starts spending time together by making something with their hands, I believe all criteria are met to call the happening collective crafting. Me spending time with my sisters certainly qualifies as such hap-pening and countless other examples can be found all around such as meeting up with a group of friends to cook dinner together. For something to be a collective undertaking, there is no need to organise it under any specific directive. No organisation or institution is necessary to ‘approve’ these actions nor to confirm their existence. It is the pure act of being together that makes it valid.
  Hopefully, what happens when people start crafting collectively is a moment of togetherness, support and creativity. We slowly start to let go of any outside expectations, shyness, doubts about ourselves and start to feel free and connected to the people around us. I believe that while everyone is busy with the making, that’s when the most beautiful interaction happens—the conversation. It is an exchange of thoughts, experiences and knowledge.
  Being physically together allows us to get closer to each other on a different level. When we are together, new memories are made and new bonds created, not only through the act of processing the information we exchange in spoken word, but also through all the other senses that are engaged in the process. Our sense of smell—noticing what perfume the other people are wearing that day or our sense of touch—interacting with different materials. I believe that especially in the era of social media, where increasingly many of our interactions happen online, it may be even more important to reflect on the role of these moments of physical connection.
  In this thesis I would like to further explore not only the role that collectivity plays in our everyday lives, but also how it can influence and enhance the act of creating both physical and intangible cultural artefacts. I would also like to take a closer look at the position that women take in these groups and collective activities, and how these could influence their sense of belonging as well as feeling of empowerment.

Me vs Us

According to The Smithsonian Institution ^[2] the human is a social animal. The article on human origins states that grouping, forming relationships and supporting each other is a key to survival, or at least, it used to be. As explained by the author, back in the day, when the only food available to humans were the plants they gathered or the meat they hunted, and the only source of warmth was the fire, being a loner was not an option. The Smithsonian Institution states that becoming a member of a social group was essential to survival—without the help of others there was a risk of not getting enough food or warmth. The article states that tasks like organising shelter, hunting bigger animals or taking care of the children were easier achieved with more than one person. Apart from those sheer practicalities, people also relied on each other both for emotional and physical comfort.
  Nowadays the matter looks somewhat different. Most people are busy with their daily chores, occupied by work and getting more distant from even their closest social circle, in some cases hardly ever trying to be an active member of a larger community. The fact, that our survival is no longer directly dependent on a large group, may have led most of us to thinking, that being part of a community is somewhat redundant. As I see it, this standpoint is fundamentally flawed. Seeing recent geo-political events, like the COVID-19 pandemic or the progressing climate change increasing the risk of disasters ^[3] all over the globe, I am compelled to reconsider my position in the world which surrounds me. In an environment as unbalanced and unpredictable as described above, it is difficult to imagine not having a social safety net to fall onto.
  As a creative maker studying in an international environment, I see how expanding my closest circle was very valuable both personally and professionally. Being in a group allowed me to create a feeling of safety and togetherness. Spending time together and exchanging ideas helped me stay creative and open to new perspectives. Coming from the art and design field, I wonder if there is a future within this discipline in which a more cooperative form of creativity replaces the independent art practices. What lessons can we learn from the experiences of collectivity and what kind of creative practices are they pointing to?
  Even though, as a maker I have a tendency to isolate myself (during my process), I see a value in how being a part of a group can change my creative/artistic experience. Ursula Le Guin ^[4] describes the threat of isolating individualism when she presents the ‘hero’ vs the ‘collective’ conflict:
As Ursula Le Guin presents the ‘hunter’ vs ‘gatherer’ conflict in her essay “The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction”:

“Heroes are powerful. Before you know it, the men and women in the wild-oat patch and their kids and the skills of the makers and the thoughts of the thoughtful and the songs of the singers are all part of it, have all been pressed into service in the tale of the Hero. But it isn't their story. It's his.”

Le Guin critiques the narrative of the Hero, arguing that collective efforts are often overshadowed by individual glorification. I’d like to draw a parallel between that narrative and the process of art making. When an artist produces a new work, it is never truly an isolated, singular piece. It enters a dialogue, a discourse. It relates to other makers, draws inspiration from their ideas and creations. It also often relates to the artist’s life and events, people they know. Yet there exists a tendency to idolize the individual creator, the maker. As described in an article ^[5] about collective action “It was only during the Renaissance that the uniqueness of the solo artist’s hand began to be prized both culturally and financially, with works of art coming to be valued as true expressions of the matchless qualities of the singular genius.” The emphasis began to be placed on the author (master) and the final work, and not on the process and the dialogue it was creating.
  A form of an art collective lets one move away from the egocentric view of the ‘hero’ and instead focuses on the process of making and all the people involved. It is based on the rejection of the artist as a ‘genius’, a singular mind. Instead, they rely on the power of a group, exchanging ideas and thoughts to support their goal the best they can. It shows that when everyone has their role based on their strengths, the outcome will become more impactful. It lets the participants get closer without creating divisions between them. Once they feel comfortable and confident about their skills without the need of comparing themselves to each other, it helps to create free and deep work. A collective also gives you a possibility to share the responsibilities and at the same time have more time to create and focus on the work itself instead of organising more menial tasks. De Wachter ^[6] comments on collaboration in the following way:

“The ability to converse, disagree and hold incompatible views, and yet move beyond conflict towards creation is essential to collaboration. It is a basic human dynamic, one that the Russian literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin (1895–1975) called the ‘dialogic process’. This dynamic yields a conversation that admits and values difference, and lets interlocutors be within and without the group at various times.”

That exchange gives the collectives the advantage over the other artists. Constant dialogue over new ideas and creations can quickly help in the development of a project. But could it also disturb the creative process? Let’s not forget that the above-mentioned perspective is not the only possible outcome of a cooperation with someone. Oftentimes it can be a long and frustrating moment full of compromises and feeling of loss. There is no guarantee of success even assuming that the collective is created among people with compatible characters and a common goal (which can already be difficult to fulfil). Lack of clarity regarding responsibilities and roles of the participants or differences in the vision of the results can cause a lot of unpleasant tension. There are many different structures of collectives that can fill most of your needs, such as a duo if a small team is preferred, or a larger group if the preference is not to have too much responsibility.
  When it comes to these different structures, I believe there is no right way of organising it. Each group functions in a way that is tailored to the specific needs and goals. One example of a community-focused collective is Slaghammers; a feminist collective based in Glasgow, whose goal is to provide a space for the community to learn new skills in metal work and welding. As it is mentioned in their bio ^[7], the Slaghammers noticed, that the traditional metal workshop spaces often don’t provide an inclusive environment for women, trans and non-binary individuals to work in. The collective’s aim is to nurture the atmosphere in which all people feel welcomed and can learn, expand their practises and share with the community.
  Another example of a contemporary collective is Maternal Fantasies. It is an interdisciplinary group of makers based in Berlin, Germany. The collective focuses on shaping discourse on motherhood in the contemporary art creation. Their methodology is creating workshops with the local community and using alternative ways of structuring art production, such as children’s games or community-oriented experiments.
  Both examples of collectives show the broad spectrum of goals and methods of acting as a group.

Mouth to Ear to Mouth

When we meet with a group of people, we usually have a common goal. Whether that is learning a new skill, doing something for others or expanding your horizons, that collective factor helps the group connect and focus. While it is useful to have that goal as a source of motivation, I believe that achieving it is not the most important aspect of coming together. The focus should be put on the time shared with each other. Whether the goal has been achieved or not, it matters if something has changed within the members of the group, if the process itself evoked positive emotions.
  In his essay ^[8] Walter Benjamin writes about the process of crafting together. He believes that it is a process of conversing, storytelling, sharing knowledge and narrations. Where there is a group of makers (listeners), there will also most probably happen to be a narrator (teller) among them. According to Benjamin, once the listener’s hands become occupied with work, they can focus and listen more carefully to the story told by the teller. After engaging with the story itself, the listener gets immersed in it, identifies with it and starts to internalise it. If a story is told well, the listener has the urge to share it with other people—the listener becomes the teller, and the cycle continues. In Benjamin’s essay, the storytelling is a factor that brings everyone closer to each other. It encourages the participants to exchange stories and ideas, which instantly makes them more active and curious about their closest environment. They become more engaged in other’s lives, encouraged to share experiences, stories and advice. In her paper about “The Storyteller” by Walter Benjamin Esther Leslie ^[9]describes:

“Benjamin tells us, they gain audiences, lured into workshops to graft while netting experiences transmitted from mouth to ear to mouth. The best listeners, insists Benjamin, are the ones who have forgotten themselves, and while their half-conscious minds are engaged in pot-throwing, spinning and weaving, and their bodies are seized by the gentle rhythm of work, the stories they hear forego an existence on paper, imprinting themselves into the listener’s phantasy, awaiting retransmissions, after-lives.”

While the storyteller has an opportunity to engage everyone in the story, the listeners and the makers have an opportunity to fully let go of everyday matters and truly engage in the activity. They are captivated with the story and the craft, which makes both their bodies and their brains fully occupied. Together they create a group and make new memories. In ^[10] Assmann and Czaplicka highlight the collective character of these memories:

“Every individual memory constitutes itself in communication with others. These "others," however, are not just any set of people, rather they are groups who conceive their unity and peculiarity through a common image of their past.”

In this case the individuals compose memories that also belong to the group. And these common memories, shared among the members of the group build up the sense of trust and belonging. It makes the group become emotionally engaged and, with time, attached to each other. While the storyteller is the one who helps the group to connect, the craft is a way of bringing them together in the first place. This process helps to create their collective identity.

Hand to Hand

The newly created collective identity in this case refers to the “communicative” or “everyday memory” ^[11] , meaning oral history, with its temporal characteristics. It’s contained within the group and its interactions. The shared narrative as well as the craft itself, are a part of the intangible cultural heritage which includes “non-physical intellectual property including folklore, customs, beliefs, traditions, knowledge, and language ^[11].” That’s why the importance of preserving the traditional craftsmanship is high, since not only does it help us build communities but is also key to maintaining our culture throughout the changing times.
  The traditional craftsmanship finds many forms, such as toys, clothing, instruments or jewellery. They are usually made from local materials and reflect the environment in which they were made and their need for such an object. Some of these objects have a long-term function like a family heirloom, while others are temporary. The level of the skills to create these objects vary as well. The more intricate the material is, the longer it takes to learn and master the skill.
  According to a ‘UNESCO’ article ^[12] on the traditional craftsmanship, globalisation poses significant challenges to the survival of traditional forms of craftsmanship. It states that mass production can offer needed goods at lower cost both currency and time wise in comparison to hand production. Adrienne Rich writes about the importance of maintaining these artifacts to continue the dialogue between different generations. She describes:

“For spiritual values and a creative tradition to continue unbroken we need concrete artifacts, the work of hands, written words to read, images to look at, a dialogue with brave and imaginative women who came before us.” ^[13]

With such threats to the traditional craftsmanship, I believe it is important to put the effort in maintaining these practices both for the sake of transferring tradition from generation to generation and decreasing the negative impact the fast-paced production is causing to the environment.

Behind the closed door

From my personal experience it was always women around me that I build a special emotional connection with. I felt their true engagement and observed sacrifices made for building special bonds. Growing up in a female-dominated environment I observed my mother making connections with many women around her. During meetings she created a space for others to feel accepted and understood. And as she helped others, she was also being supported. All these women had different life situations and experiences. Some of them were mothers, some single, living with friends or alone. Yet they all managed to connect and explore their diversity. The realities which women often are confronted with either in a work environment or at home can be very difficult to deal with when facing them alone. As Adrienne Rich ^[13] describes the constant connection between women:

“Working together as women, consciously creating our networks even where patriarchal institutions are the ones in which we have to survive, we can confront the problems of women’s relationships, the mothers we came from, the sisters with whom we were forced to divide the world, the daughters we love and fear. We can challenge and inspire each other, throw light on one another’s blind spots, stand by and give courage at the birth-throes of one another’s insights.”

The relationship between women can spread throughout different groups and generations. It is an ever-growing network. By following an example of such a network in Poland called “Rural Women’s Club” I would like to show how women took initiative in spreading and strengthening the Polish culture and traditions and created a space for themselves to feel supported in the difficulties of daily life.
  According to article by I.Matysiak about the rural women’s organisations in Poland ^[14], the Rural Women’s Club (Koło Gospodyń Wiejskich) has first been started in the second half of the nineteenth century. The source states that the club was founded to improve the living conditions in the countryside through creating centres of support and education, as well as places of cultivating crafts, local tradition and health. As Matysiak writes, the clubs were responsible for creating events and activities aimed at women to improve the agriculture and rural family’s well-being, such as cooking classes, sewing clothes, embroidery or agriculture.
  An article about the circles of village housewives by Zajko-Czochańska ^[15] states that during the partition of Poland into Russian, Prussian and Austrian parts in the late eighteenth century, Poland disappeared from the map and at the end of the 19th century the hope for Poland’s independence rose among the Polish nation, influenced by the growth of the rural community. All the nation’s efforts went into propagating the Polish culture, education and prevention of the Russification and Germanification. According to Zajko-Czochańska in the 1877 the first Rural Women’s Club began with the goal to gain back Poland’s independence and to maintain the cultural heritage. After that the clubs started to spread, and right before the WW1 there were already a hundred clubs. The community grew bigger with time reaching over 4200 Clubs until the 1938-1939 which meant around 99,5 thousand female members. Despite political and social hardships, the RWC has persisted, adapting to changing circumstances while maintaining its core mission since its beginning till now and going through its revival since the beginning of the 21st century. The article states that during some time of the Club’s existence (especially during the socialist period) there were tries to use them for political propaganda to control the rural population, but at the same time the clubs were viewed as ‘politically harmless’ being female structures.
  Nowadays the Rural Women’s Club (RWC) is still an active organisation receiving government subsidies and counting many members. Its form transformed since the schooling system became more accessible to all children, and women didn’t need that much help with home-schooling and learning all the house tasks. Instead, the clubs became a way of connecting with the Polish culture and traditions for the Polish community. The most popular activities of the clubs are workshops organised in many Polish cities and villages, teaching traditional skills such as knitting, and organising festivals with live folk music and traditional family games. Nowadays a big emphasis is also on sharing and archiving these traditions between the older and younger generation of women and other members of the clubs, so that the Polish culture is preserved for the future.
  I believe that the RWC helped women connect with each other through many different times and circumstances. Thanks to the club’s activities the members could gain the feeling of empowerment by learning new skills and taking responsibility for the collective actions. The women engaged in the clubs had the opportunity to step outside of the house and give themselves the time for connecting and processing the daily hardships of running a household. It also provided them with a space to connect on a deeper level with the Polish tradition and exchange knowledge. As described by Silvia Federici ^[16]:

“In many parts of the world, women have historically been seen as the weavers of memory—those who keep alive the voices of the past and the histories of the communities, who transmit them to the future generations and, in so doing, create a collective identity and profound sense of cohesion. They are also those who hand down acquired knowledges and wisdoms—concerning medical remedies, the problems of the heart, and the understanding of human behaviour, starting with that of men.”

As stated by Federici, it was the women who were the ‘weavers of memory’, in constant connection with each other.
  When looking into the stories of my family, I don’t have to search long to find women struggling in their households. A few generations back it was a common practice for women to marry very early and submit to their husband’s will even though it most often meant physical abuse. Heavy drinking, encouraged by subsidized vodka prices during Communism, has compounded the violence, particularly in the countryside. As stated in a New York Times article ^[17]: “A recent survey showed that 60 percent of families accepted corporal punishment as a way of scolding their children, a practice that can carry over to violence against wives, sociologists say.” Women were completely controlled by the husband in terms of daily life and work. The most common way of coping in those situations, was a strategy of verbally “agreeing” with the husband while still trying to maintain one’s autonomy. The lives of these women were full of compromises and secrecy, submitting to the husbands while at the same time trying to keep their own dreams and hopes alive. As described by Joanna Kuciel-Frydryszak ^[18] in her book about the Polish countryside, a certain degree of flair or even cunning, were absolutely essential qualities in the woman’s life. She wrote that keeping the husbands under the impression of having the power but not resigning from their goals (especially making decisions about the children) was the only option. Not only did these women plan the whole family’s future and managed the everyday tasks, but also tried to keep everyone happy at all costs, especially the husband. That’s how the cycle continued, husbands taking care of the land, women taking care of the rest and not getting any recognition for their efforts and overcoming endless struggles.
  When writing about (house)work it expands more than only cleaning, doing the laundry, or cooking. (House)work also means taking care of the atmosphere of the house, the well-being of all the residents as well as respecting all the cyclical Polish traditions. It is the invisible work, the labour done ‘in-between’ bigger, more noticeable work. A big part of this invisible work can be the emotional labour—making sure the kids get along, remembering and celebrating birthdays and special occasions, sustaining family and non-family relations (quite often for all the members of the family)—doing all that with a smile on her face. Women do it for the children, the husbands and themselves(!), to have a loving and happy home. But what is the (personal) price, that they must pay for sustaining that peace and happiness?
  Keeping up with traditions is another part of the responsibilities put on women’s shoulders. When it comes to the Polish traditions, they vary from region to region, but they all serve similar functions. The most important ones are either to ‘protect’ or ‘prevent’ certain events from happening. An example of a protective decoration is a ‘spi-der’, which is a meticulous construction made from straw, hanged from the ceiling in the middle of the room. Since it’s built from light material it turns when someone walks through the room. This movement is supposed ‘clear the air’ and protect the family from the ‘bad spirits’.
  In the words of Adrienne Rich ^[13] about the women’s actions:

“Yet it is this activity of world-protection, world-preservation, world-repair, the million tiny stitches, the frictions of the scrubbing brush, the scouring-cloth, the iron across the shirt, the rubbing of cloth against itself to exorcise the stain, the renewal of the scorched pot, the rusted knife-blade, the invisible weaving of a frayed and threadbare family life, the cleaning-up of soil and waste left behind by men and children.”

  Whenever all the (house)work was unmanageable, women would meet and help each other out—different generations of families and their neighbours sitting together in a room making decorations, darning socks or preparing food. The women would talk and exchange stories. That helped them build better relationships and engage in the life of others. Thanks to these women the Polish traditions and the community stayed alive.

Conclusion

  While approaching the topic of collective crafting I decided to start from a very general overview of what this notion means to me. By looking at my own relation to collectivity and belonging to a group, as well as making things with my hands and exploring how engaging in different activities made me feel empowered, I slowly zoomed in to take a look at the profound emotional and relational meaning of these processes. Another goal of this thesis was to expand on the role of women in collective activities and to explore the importance of physical connection both in artmaking specifically, and human interactions in general.
  When writing about the form of a group as a tool for deepening creative exploration, I engaged with the topic from a perspective of being a creative maker myself. The process of creating a new work or researching a new topic can feel isolating and there can even be a sense of powerlessness in this individual struggle. I became aware of the alternatives available around me—I believe that the form of a collective makes it possible to maintain the creative freedom and allows to create a support structure, a net. Such structure is weaved through time with multiple communities and individuals throughout life. From generation to generation, the different members meet and mend the holes, make the structure whole again.
  I saw writing this thesis as an opportunity to experience that ‘social net’ directly, within the context of my practice. My goal was to make connections not only with the sources and writers mentioned above, but also (and maybe even more importantly) with people who surround me in my daily life. During conversations with tutors, advisors and friends, I felt touched by noticing the possibility of approaching relationships in a more inclusive way, especially in the context of women coming together. When reading texts by Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde or Silvia Federici, I felt like a part of a group, included in the discourse. I believe these collective structures surrounding me are a proof of what powerful tool belonging to a closer group can be, and how their wisdom travels through generations.

Acknowledgements

I'd like to thank my family and friends for the encouragment I received during the period of writing. I'm additionally grateful for the love and emotional support of Kamil. Special thanks to Julianna, Mateusz and Nu for looking at my text with their kind and observant eyes during the writing and editing process. Additionally, I would like to thank Mateusz for his help and patience with my coding process.

Thesis guided by Dr. Füsun Türetken
Website guided by François Girard-Meunier & Thomas Buxo

Bibliography