Innovation for Added Value: Experimentation With Aluminium in the Fine Crafts and Design

In the 19th Century aluminium failed, unlike plastics, to pass itself off as a substitute material. When accepted on its own terms aluminium made its reputation based on its aesthetic neutrality. It is also popular for its lightness, malleability and ability to be recycled and ability to be transformed through printing and colouring. More recently aluminium has become part of aesthetic statements about technology in the work of Ron Arad and Marc Newson. Aluminium has been the subject of popular academic attention through the publication Aluminum By Design, edited by Sarah Nichols and published in 2000, which accompanied a Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh USA) travelling exhibition. This has brought fresh attention to the potential of this area for historical and critical investigation.