Hand vs. Machine
Axe head from the Late Bronze Age made by a skilled metal smith in a time of innovating mass-production techniques.
Courtesy of UCL Institute of Archaeology / Images 1 - 6 © Ken Walton
The Conflict
Printing press or hand written? Hand-sewn or factory produced? One of a kind or one of many? The conflict between what is handmade and what is machinemade has arisen out of our cultural and technological revolutions. The inventions of production lines within factories and the printing press were ground-breaking, yet recently there has been an increase in the popularity of unique, artisanal crafts. But does the demand for efficiency within the 21st century culture override this and ultimately power the need for machines?
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Machines equate to fast and mass production, which in turn correlates with a cheaper price that correlates with the rising demand. However, these products lack individuality and any trace of craftsmanship has long been lost. The focus on profit often means that quality suffers. Yet factories create jobs. Those in the craft trade often work in poor conditions due to little profit. The debate continues to go back and forth.
The Object
The object pictured above is a bronze palstave, or axe head, from Ireland, used in the Late Bronze Age (approximately 850 to 500 BC). Originally, the palstave would have been attached to a handle, and the lack of decoration implies that the object was commonplace rather than sacrificial or spiritual. However, its exact use is open to some speculation – it may have been used for carpentry purposes, as a warfare weapon or for the butchering of animals.
The Relevance
Ultimately, this object represents a handmade tool, it is unique. There would have been axes that were incredibly similar, albeit this remains to be one of a kind. However, it was most likely created using a mould, which could be reused to produce many axes. Already, we see the beginning of tools which aid in manufacture, as early as in the Bronze Age. Could it be that nothing is purely handmade? How reliant on machines are we?
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It is possible that the creation of moulds credited the ability to make axes to a greater number of lesser skilled people. This represents a move away from the preserved knowledge of artisans and allowed the craft to become more accessible to others. However, with the increased efficiency of production, there comes a loss of job prospects to those who thrive off the success of unique craftsmanship.
The term ‘handmade’ is difficult to define, because even the objects that are described so, are created with more often than not, the help of tools. But tools have evolved to become factories, and the loss of quality has arisen as the need for profit became the focal point. Yet some products require machine manufacture, take cars for example. Society would be a very different place without them – instantly the idea of a more inconvenient future comes to mind. But once you eliminate cars, you eliminate a degree of pollution, which in turn affects global warming - a house of cards effect undoubtedly. What would the world look like without machines? Would it be a utopian future? Or would human society and culture cease to develop without technology? Think of your most treasured machinemade object, then image your life without it; do the same with your favourite handcrafted belonging. What are the results?