DYING ARTS?

Several skills, including cricket ball

making, gold beating and lacrosse stick making, have already become extinct through lack of use. And these losses, says Daniel Carpenter at the

Heritage Crafts Association, come with a price. ‘The cost of losing crafts such as these is that our economy is now reliant on makers elsewhere in the world – which, while sad for those communities directly involved and a lost opportunity for future generations, is to some extent expected as trends come and go and practices change. However, we still have plenty to contribute from our generations of accumulated expertise.

‘But the more practices we lose, the more we become consumers rather than producers – not just of products, but of knowledge and culture too. Making is historically a part of our identity as humans, and the problems that come from losing the opportunity to make things are only too apparent in areas that have suffered a collapse of their manufacturing industries. It’s not just the economy that suffers: it’s the sense of pride that making things brings.’

Alongside the losses, however, there are remarkable stories of recovery – such as that of the ancient practice of

sieve and riddle making. This craft – the making of beechwood and wire mesh hoops for mines, agriculture, fishing, cooking and gardening – had reached extinction and was featured on the HCA’s Red List. It was noticed there by two separate makers, who have both taken up the practice as a result, culminating in its reclassification from Extinct to Critically Endangered.