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Convivial Fabrication: Towards Relational Computational Tools For and From Craft Practices

Ritik Batra, Roy Zunder, Amy Cheatle, Amritansh Kwatra, Ilan Mandel, Thijs Roumen, Steven J. Jackson

TL;DR

The paper argues that conventional fabrication tools treat materials as passive substrates, eroding material dialogue and autonomy in craft. Through 23 interviews with expert woodworkers, fiber artists, and metalworkers, it introduces three orders of convivial relations—immediate, mid-range, and extended—and integrates Illich’s conviviality with Ingold’s morphogenetic ideas to critique current tools. It then proposes seven design principles to guide convivially oriented computational tools and infrastructures that support material dialogue, collective knowledge, and accountability across orders. The work offers a practical framework for rethinking fabrication tools to better align with craft practices, with implications for HCI design, pedagogy, and platform ecosystems.

Abstract

Computational tools for fabrication often treat materials as passive rather than active participants in design, abstracting away relationships between craftspeople and materials. For craft communities that value relational practices, abstractions limit the adoption and creative uptake of computational tools which might otherwise be beneficial. To understand how better tool design could support richer relations between individuals, tools, and materials, we interviewed expert woodworkers, fiber artists, and metalworkers. We identify three orders of convivial relations central to craft: immediate relations between individuals, tools, and materials; mid-range relations between communities, platforms, and shared materials; and extended relations between institutions, infrastructures, and ecologies. Our analysis shows how craftspeople engage and struggle with convivial relations across all three orders, creating workflows that learn from materials while supporting autonomy. We conclude with design principles for computational tools and infrastructures to better support material dialogue, collective knowledge, and accountability, along with richer and more convivial relations between craftspeople, tools, and the material worlds around them.

Convivial Fabrication: Towards Relational Computational Tools For and From Craft Practices

TL;DR

The paper argues that conventional fabrication tools treat materials as passive substrates, eroding material dialogue and autonomy in craft. Through 23 interviews with expert woodworkers, fiber artists, and metalworkers, it introduces three orders of convivial relations—immediate, mid-range, and extended—and integrates Illich’s conviviality with Ingold’s morphogenetic ideas to critique current tools. It then proposes seven design principles to guide convivially oriented computational tools and infrastructures that support material dialogue, collective knowledge, and accountability across orders. The work offers a practical framework for rethinking fabrication tools to better align with craft practices, with implications for HCI design, pedagogy, and platform ecosystems.

Abstract

Computational tools for fabrication often treat materials as passive rather than active participants in design, abstracting away relationships between craftspeople and materials. For craft communities that value relational practices, abstractions limit the adoption and creative uptake of computational tools which might otherwise be beneficial. To understand how better tool design could support richer relations between individuals, tools, and materials, we interviewed expert woodworkers, fiber artists, and metalworkers. We identify three orders of convivial relations central to craft: immediate relations between individuals, tools, and materials; mid-range relations between communities, platforms, and shared materials; and extended relations between institutions, infrastructures, and ecologies. Our analysis shows how craftspeople engage and struggle with convivial relations across all three orders, creating workflows that learn from materials while supporting autonomy. We conclude with design principles for computational tools and infrastructures to better support material dialogue, collective knowledge, and accountability, along with richer and more convivial relations between craftspeople, tools, and the material worlds around them.
Paper Structure (24 sections, 2 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 24 sections, 2 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Work
  3. Materiality and Fabrication in HCI
  4. Morphogenetic Models of Making
  5. Convivial Tools in Computing
  6. Methods
  7. Craft as a Site of Inquiry
  8. Participants and Recruitment
  9. Positionality Statement
  10. Coding and Analysis
  11. Findings: Orders of Convivial Relations
  12. First Order: Immediate Relations
  13. Abstraction
  14. Engagement
  15. Second Order: Mid-Range Relations
  16. ...and 9 more sections

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: Select artifacts shared by expert participants including in-progress works, final pieces, craft tools, etc. Credits from top-left to bottom-right: Ann Kronenberg, Che-Wei Wang with Taylor Levy, Charlie Ryland, Gregory Beson, Jody Culkin, Sally J. Jones, Scott Van Campen, Yukako Satone with Carol Hunt, and Kathy Creutzburg with Mirabai Kwan Yin and Natalia Lesniak.
  • Figure 2: Our interviews reveal three interconnected orders of convivial relations in craft practices.