BOOKMONGER
Artisans keep traditional crafts alive
T
he words of Portland photographer Ray Bidegain comprise the fi rst
sentence in a handsome new book about traditional arts in danger
of being forgotten in our mechanized, mass produced, assembly
line age.
“Getting out there and doing things with your hands is honest and
human,” Bidegain writes.
And as the book “Almost Lost Arts” demonstrates, it is also deeply
inspiring.
Seattle writer Emily Freidenrich has aggregated the stories of 20 dif-
ferent expert practitioners who are keeping specialty crafts alive. From
Issaquah to Oaxaca and Auckland to Oakland, these remarkable artisans
universally demonstrate qualities of perseverance, ingenuity and artistry.
Bidegain, for example, is one of a handful of folks who mastered
working with wet plate photography, which originated in the 19th cen-
tury. It is a multi-step process that involves coating a glass plate in a
chemical bath that makes the plate light-sensitive for only as long as it
remains damp – usually no more than 10-15 minutes. The plate is loaded
into the camera, exposed to the image and then requires additional treat-
ments for the image to develop. The process is particularly effective in
portraiture, as it presents facial features in intensive, luminous detail.
Other artisans from the Pacifi c Northwest featured in this book
include a book mender and an antiquarian horologist who works in
an enchanting world of tiny gears, musical cylinders and miniature
automatons.
Going farther afi eld, the book introduces readers to the longstanding
female tradition of adobe enjarradoras (plasteresses) among the Pueblo
Natives; an ancient technique of bronze casting in Milan; and the ele-
gant, centuries-old Japanese ceramic-repair solution called Kintsugi,
which uses lacquer laced with gold powder to mend cracks in broken
plates or bowls.
For the dwindling numbers of us who still understand the pleasure of
poring over maps, there are two chapters that are bound to delight. One
is devoted to a company that produces custom-made estate maps, and
the other to a studio that crafts exquisite, handmade globes. Both enter-
prises are located in Great Britain.
The book also includes some rather surprising 20th century art forms
in her survey of crafts that she believes are in danger of disappearing.
Neon artists are one example (say it isn’t so!). And up until last year,
a company in the Ozarks was apparently the only company left in the
world that still manufactured cassette tapes. Recently a French enter-
prise started providing friendly competition.
“Almost Lost Arts” is loaded with gorgeous photographs of artisans
plying their trade. It’s surprising that the images have been procured
from dozens of different photographers, because the book, from a visual
standpoint, is pleasingly cohesive.
Less successful are the written profi les of the artisans. Apparently, the
author culled information from a variety of websites and news sources,
but it is unclear whether she undertook much onsite, original reporting
for the book. The essays lack intimacy, and have a somewhat cursory
feel.
My advice is to glean what you can from the writing, but indulge in
the eye candy!
This Week’s Book
“Almost Lost Arts” By Emily Friedenrich
Chronicle – 208 pp — $35
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019 // 23