Crafts Perception and the Possibilities of the Body

Indicative theories of perception encourage fine artists to look down their noses at the crafts, whose products are potentially useful. On this view, use - and action in general - is essentially distinct from information, although it can be guided by it. And information (largely drawn from memory) is the name of the art-game. By contrast, an enactive theory of perception shows why a prime aesthetic attraction of the crafts is their close engagement with the possibilities of bodily action. There is no clear boundary between art and craft, because indicative and enactive processes can be elicited by a single object. Some designer-makers choose to exploit this fact. Whether their work is categorized as 'art' or 'craft' depends on sociological factors.