Editorial 3
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potter who could neither hear nor speak, who had received no education and had little opportunity in life, who yet could command the admiration of men and women throughout the civilised world, not least of the Queen herself, for the cultivated brilliance, wit and originality of his potting. No wonder, too, that Mr Gladstone as he remained to the end of his days, was loved by the multitude and despised by the hoi poloi of politics. One final reminiscence. When in its new form the revived journal took the stage it was in time to see the age-old semi-mechanised production processes of the commercial potteries begin to give way to the concept of die pressing a dry ceramic powder to form the millions of products required by the richest markets. Famous factories were suddenly faced with the choice of total mechanisation or of re-locating to low-wage countries where they could compete on the old basis of traditional shapes and designs and the commercial philosophy of 'perceived scarcity'. Glass and metalwork such as cutlery were less drastically affected. In some ways they benefited from the inherent shortcomings of mass |
production methods and materials. The craft potter, able to seek reward for the merits of his personal handiwork, could weather the storm. So could the metal smith and the glass blower. But the financial strain of competing in a world that wants craftsmanship at the price of mass production has not been eased by the polarisation of the two extremes of manufacture. The clarion cry of the Arts and Crafts movement was the assertion of the supremacy of the human hand over the machine. The reply of the engineer and industrial designer of the 20th century is that mass production is the prerequisite of human progress and happiness, and hand craft the indulgence of the few. That some, like the two Josiahs of Staffordshire and Henry Doulton, like William Morris and CR Ashbee, and some of the finest designer craftsman of the present, have made the two approaches compatible, is among the major achievements of modern times. But for the ceramics industry it is an achievement of yesterday. Today, some of its most famous names are to be found on supermarket shelves. That is the stuff of this new magazine. |