Industrial Craft in Australia

Drawing on oral histories collected by the author, this book highlights the experiences of industrial craftspeople in Australian manufacturing, as they navigate precarious employment, retraining, gendered career pathways, creative expression and technological change. The book argues that digital fabrication technologies may modify or transform industrial craft, but should not obliterate it. Industrial craft is about more than the rudimentary production of everyday objects: it is about human creativity, material knowledge and meaningful work, and it will be key to human survival in the troubled times ahead.

Jesse Adams Stein is an interdisciplinary design researcher and oral historian. She is a Senior Lecturer and ARC DECRA Fellow at the School of Design, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.