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Reconsidering the status of handmade projects in an age of mass production, Stephen Burks and his Readymade Projects presented the Stephen Burks: Man Made exhibition recently.
The exhibition, which took place at The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, was the culmination of his exploration of the global economy of artisanal craft.
Traditional basket weaving processes formed the core concept of the exhibition, with Burks having collaborated on this craft with weavers in New York, Dakar, Peru, South Africa and India. During the exhibition, the museum’s galleries were transformed into workshops where New York-based weavers and artisans created a series of functional and experimental objects and installations, conceived by Burks.
Included in the exhibition were photographic and video documentation of Burks’s travels, and his own drawings and prototypes. This allowed viewers to experience the design process from inspiration to completion.
