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Artisans of the previous generation, whether creating
lacquerware, pottery, or carpentry, assumed an attitude
of humility in the face of the material and the technique,
and very humbly worked their craft. They would spend their
whole lives developing a harmonious world. The value of
the individual artisan then stretched into infinity, and
the self became the most harmonious part of the pulse
of the universe. Facing them was like being in the presence
of a majestic old pine rooted for centuries on the shore,
or a towering rock face. Encountering them, there was
perfect understanding and no need for words. Seeing them,
pondering them, Liuli Gongfang knows
it must do what it can to follow in their footsteps.
Liuli Gongfang advocates
morality because a morality exists in every piece of art.
This morality is an attitude, an expectation, and a world
view. Morality also exists in the technique of the craft.
It is man's study of the natural world, a kind of training
of the self, and a mending of one's life. A morality also
exists within the craft community. A single person's life
is finite, but one piece of art work is able to blend
and combine all of man's wisdom and experience of art
work into a complete whole. Artisans are not able to cut
themselves off from history or isolate themselves from
society. An attitude of humble learning only improves
interaction with others.
Liuli Gongfang advocates
craftsmanship. Craftsmanship means using one's hands to
make something. The original definition of craftsmanship
is based on the interaction of material and technique.
Liuli Gongfang's definition
is based on people's past identity. They believe craft
is today's most powerful reaction to the nothingness threatened
by modern existence.
If in this era a new contemporary doctrine is needed,
Liuli Gongfang advocates craft. It believes one
must work hard, to labor, to be self-effacing. In a craft,
one must put aside one's condescension of "labor", use
the experience of tradition, develop a new concept of
craft and accumulate the essence of the self. This will
lead us gracefully into the next generation. One hundred
years from now, Liuli Gongfang
will have created for Chinese glass craft a new endless
history.
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