Crafted Over Time

Oregon photojournalist/filmmaker Patrick Rosenkranz celebrates the pleasures of doing things the old way in this look at a dozen Pacific Northwest artisans, including a stone cutter, a printer, a book binder, and makers of harpsichords, stained glass, and cannons—all of whom use only hand tools or hand-operated machinery to keep ancient crafts alive. Although we witness them all working, this is not a “how-to”: Rosenkranz is more interested in why they still hew to handcraft methods that most people would consider obsolete or at least unnecessary. “It's empowering to do things by yourself,” explains a flint knapper who demonstrates primitive skills such as how to grow a fire from a spark—skills, he says, “that might continue our species at some point in time.” The harpsichord builder puts it another way: “The problem with machine tools is that they do everything perfectly.” An interesting look at traditional craftwork, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Zoretich)