The Centenary of Federation provides an opportunity to trace contemporary Australia back to the plans of our forbears. William Morris and John Ruskin envisaged a world in which the broad mass of people would share in the enjoyment of creative labour. The time is auspicious for such a pilgrimage.
English cultures tend to oscillate between aristocratic and popular movements.
We witness it today in the criticism of decadent postmodernism. In the crafts, this reaction is exemplified in the writing of Peter Timms, who claimed recently that 'craft theory' has taken the 'high ground of the academy and commodity capitalism'. This path of this article follows Timms before heading in its own direction. There are three paths leading us back to William Morris and his factory in Hammersmith. This traditional core offers a familiar focus for craft fundamentalism.