Both in engineering and in design, the use of wood as a construction tool has been recurrent in history, being even adopted by certain cultures which have developed and implemented their own construction methodology. In fact, if we study the construction techniques implemented by the Asian continent in antiquity, we will find a large number of mitered or hand-carved modular joints, by master craftsmen.
This philosophy of construction was based on the non-application of sharp metal elements, ie nails and even bolts for the consolidation of structures made only with wood and tempered paper for windows and sliding doors respectively to the culture of the same. This type of construction imposes its own canons of construction and notions of conservation, durability and innovation on the part of its practitioners and most representative figures.
Architects, sculptors, painters, we must all go back to crafts! Well, there is no art as a profession. There is no essential difference between the artist and the craftsman. The artist is a craftsman improvement.- Walter Gropius
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A relevant aspect in the history is the resistance that these engineering works have shown over time largely to their way of union which generates some resistance to various climatological events, characteristics that are very appreciated in the ancient monasteries and monarchical works found throughout the Asian continent which are a proof of this sustainability, considering the location of certain countries.
Of course, this vision of work was certainly slower and more careful than those practiced in modernity, which is why the monarchs decided to end the life of the master craftsmen and their construction team so that they could not replicate their work for some other government regime, alluding to a work with unique and innovative design elements for that time, thus promoting the intrinsic symbolic development of each monarch.
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Nowadays, the trade of woodworking is highly influenced by the notion of work mentioned above, through the abstraction of ideas regarding the discarding of metallic elements and the simplification of resources when working on wood, since this philosophy of artisan work raises a conception of work under emotional and spiritual schemes transferred by the artisan to his work, addressing certain notions of art, design and use of spaces.
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Another outstanding aspect at present, is the popularization and use of wood in its natural form, in which epoxy resin is added as a decorative element, being a visual resource where the uniform imperfection plays an important role, since the Organic design is a highly appreciated quality today, which manifests itself under a vision of eclectic art, breaking the conservative paradigms of design.
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On the other hand, a side effect of the current proliferation of unbridled consumerism is the appreciation of the craft process and the vintage or retro product, which has brought with it a greater boom in the supply and demand of products with unique characteristics or great manual work . Even today, it is noticeable that certain craft boutique houses are gaining more weight and relevance in the product market located in large cities such as London or New York.
Another modern marvel and effect of the massive diffusion, consequence of this digital age, is the easy reach to certain information or instruction to comfortable reach on the part of the users of the cyber space, in fact in my curiosity I have run into a wonderful channel of youtube who explains in detail a large number of miter or unions implemented by the ancient master craftsmen of the Asian continent, so that any enthusiast in the field could put into practice.
Indisputably platforms such as pinterest or youtube are full of instructive content, and they are even capsules of proliferation for contemporary creators and artisans, who are part of a new creative wave that promotes a collective work vision where innovation plays a fundamental role. Another quite favorable feature of these platforms is the magnitude in terms of content diffusion, giving way to the display and acquisition by any consumer worldwide, where even creative ideas are commercialized through plans or virtual instructions.
While this YouTube channel is not based directly on instructional videos where the steps are explained with some detail, the enthusiastic viewer could process this information through observation and detail, recreating these pieces as appropriate to a particular project that he wants to undertake.
| Perfect union and resistance within its structure | One of the multiple unions shown in the channel. |
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https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmPAJ3H5B8dzJ8NN5KgszHcfEjE8DMTLs8HnCr6QCzWYY6
https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmQ9mbx4bRc3ZKrxjc4YVfvuWFRQrFhhhhXrYPpvd5adgi The images in this post were taken from Unsplash and Pixabay.
