Craft sciences meet neuroscience

Collaboration between disciplines is necessary when research questions cannot be answered within a single discipline. Joining of forces can produce results that neither discipline could provide alone. Here we exemplify collaboration between a ceramic craft researcher and three neuroscientists working in the field of human brain imaging. In our case study of clay throwing, the researcher-practitioner's eye gaze, muscular activity and hand acceleration were recorded online, synchronized with video and thermal -camera recordings. We describe the experimental setting and discuss, besides the possible future interests in this kind of research, also the different levels of collaborative work between disciplines. We found that the monitoring methods worked well in the naturalistic setting in a ceramic studio, providing some new perspectives into the craft practice. For neuroscientists, clay throwing -involving accurate sensorimo-tor hand control, haptics and eye-hand coordination -provides an attractive setup to extend previous neuroscientific and behavioural findings in strictly controlled laboratory experiments into naturalistic situations. The applied monitoring devices might allow practitioner-researchers in crafts to become aware of unconscious steps in the making process. The applied methods could also help to accumulate general craft-making knowledge and build related theory.

Automated summary

Collaboration between disciplines is important for answering research questions that cannot be addressed by a single discipline. In this case study, a ceramic craft researcher collaborated with three neuroscientists to investigate clay throwing. The use of monitoring methods provided new perspectives and insights into the craft practice and allowed for the extension of previous neuroscientific findings into naturalistic situations.