Amateur Craft : Bloomsbury Academic : 9781472577344 : 1472577345 : 27 Aug 2015 : "Amateur Craft presents a historical and theoretical framework for understanding amateur craft in the modern era, from 19th century Sunday painters and amateur carpenters to present day railway modellers and IKEA hackers. Stephen Knott's fascinating study explores the curious and unexpected attributes of things made outside standardised models of mass production, arguing that amateur craft practice is 'differential' - a temporary moment of control over work that both departs from and informs our productive engagement with the world. Knott's discussion of the theoretical aspects of amateur craft practice is substantiated by historical case studies that cluster around the period 1850 - 1950. Looking back to the emergence of the modern amateur, he makes reference to contemporary art and design practice that harnesses or exploits amateur conditions of making. From Andy Warhol to Simon Starling, such artistic i