MADE BY HAND

At its core, “handmade” is a term that represents the relationship between the maker and the user of an item. Handmade often means community. It means that something is made with care or expert craftsmanship. Something that is made with passion and emotion.

In the last 30 years, Western society’s appreciation for craftsmanship had waned. We had become over-marketed to. We had developed new tastes for over-consumption.

However, we are now in a time of global financial and political turmoil, and we are becoming more and more cynical of big corporations. Mass production is now viewed as something that is ‘evil’, and we are becoming more aware of where the things we purchase come from. We’re actively seeking a personal connection in our products. We’re looking for that ‘human touch’.

Made By Hand is a short documentary series created out of the belief that the things we collect, consume, use, and share are part of who we are as individuals. For example, the food that we eat says something about each of us, as do the tools we use and the chairs we rest on. Objects that surround the space we dwell in tell stories, and not just about us. Where did they come from? Who made them? How were they made?

The second video in the series is about a writer turned knife maker, Joel Bukiewicz of Cut Brooklyn. He talks about the human element of craft, and the potential for a skill to mature into an art. And in sharing his story, he alights on the real meaning of handmade—a movement whose riches are measured in people, not cash.