Material: The Art of Handcrafting Beautiful Objects in a Digital Age

"An important book, brimming with insight."—Nicholas Evans, author of The Horse Whisperer

A master craftsperson explores the ways in which working with our hands reveals the essence of both our humanity and our relationship with the natural, material world.

In our present age of computer-assisted design, mass production and machine precision, the traditional skills of the maker or craftsperson are hard to find. Yet the desire for well-made and beautiful objects from the hands (and mind) of a skilled artisan is just as present today as it ever has been. Whether the medium they work with is wood, metal, clay or something else, traditional makers are living links to the rich vein of knowledge and skills that defines our common human heritage. More than this, though, many of us harbor a deep and secret yearning to produce something – to build or shape, to imagine and create our own objects that are imbued not only with beauty and functionality, but with a story and, in essence, a spirit drawn from us.

Nick Kary understands this yearning. For nearly four decades he has worked on commission to make fine, distinctive furniture and cabinets from wood, most of it sourced near his home, in the counties of South West England. During this time, he has been both a teacher and a student; one who is fascinated with the philosophy and practice of craft work of all kinds.

In Material, Kary takes readers along with him to visit some of the places where modern artisans are preserving, and in some cases passing on, the old craft skills. His vivid descriptions and eye for detail make this book a rich and delightful read, and the natural and cultural history he imparts along the way provides an important context for understanding our own past and the roots of our industrial society.

Personal, engaging, and filled with memorable people, landscapes and scenes, Material is a rich celebration of what it means to imagine and create, which in the end is the essence of being human, and native to a place. As Kary puts it, “Wood and words, trees and people, material and ethereal – it is here I love increasingly to dwell.”

Perfect for fans of The Hidden Life of Trees or Norwegian Wood, Material is a rich, inspiring read for woodworkers, potters, craftspeople, bibliophiles and anyone who enjoys working with their hands.

Nick Kary has spent a lifetime making, teaching and writing. Over the past forty years he has developed his skill set as a craftsman and designer of fine furniture from workshops in London, Mexico and Devon. Formerly an associate lecturer at Plymouth University and Schumacher College, Nick also teaches furniture making courses from a community workshop in Totnes. It is here that he can practise his passion for helping others find another way of ‘thinking through their hands’. His own work practise is based at The Brake, the home and creative centre he established with his wife, Dolly, in a beech wood near Dartmouth, Devon.