Minority Craft: A Total Misconception!

dA CATEGORY CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING TEXTILES WEAVING BASKETRY KNOTTING MACRAME ETC


FIRSTLY:  one thought:  
Why was the word "knotting" deleted from the dA list of categories?, it used to be there.... A dA representative said it was causing confusion.... that's a bit like saying that Oxyribonucleic " should be erased from the dictionary because a 4 year old wouldn't understand it...

I have conducted searches using the keywords:  
1: "knotting" and
2: "Macrame" in the main dA onsite search engine.  Mostly my stuff!(since I used useful tags with my devs),  there's a lot more now from others... but still plenty of stuff I come across which wasn't the fruits of a search... I spent hours and hours and.... researching this one....and  there are a lot of people "knotting" in different ways on dA which will likely be of interest to knotters and macrame-ists alike.

Since many do not always use practical and informative signposting words/tags in their devs, apparently, I feel the gallery areas that contain knotting and macrame should facilitate any one using the web, which is quite a few these days..., ( tongue rammed firmly in cheek.. ).

There is now no mention at all of knotting or macrame in the gallery index which is the first, and I would argue, main, other than "search", method for the general viewing public to scan/search/target their desired art/craft.  

I'm sure you are aware that there is currently, IN FACT HAS BEEN FOR YEARS...,  a resurgence which I hope I'm contributing to which has displayed itself in current fashions and haute couture, there are now many large houses with signature, actual knotted / macrame designs,(as well as decorative graphic knots like celtic & pictish designs), which are extremely popular... with everyone from Beyonce Knowles to Ferragamo, Dior et al. OK!

Secondly: here is the category you say knotting and Macrame should go into:

BASKETRY & WEAVINGS
Anything woven, whether by hand or on a loom; baskets and other woven reed creations; dreamcatchers; other woven art. Knitted and crocheted crafts belong in the textiles gallery under and appropriate sub-category such as clothing or accessories.

Nowhere in this paragraph does it mention Knotting or macrame.

Secondly: the next category that anyone may think that knotting and macrame may fit into is "Textiles". This category reads:

TEXTILES
Art created by using fabric and natural woven materials including fashion/costume construction and hairpieces like wigs and falls.

This category has several sub-categories none of which mention either knotting or macrame thus the only sub-category of textiles which would be relevent for submissions is the catch-all:

Miscellaneous
Any art involving textiles that doesn't fall into another more suitable subcategory.

Since
1: Knotting and Macrame are neither "Basketry" or "Weaving" (ask any basket-maker or weaver or knotter)
2: Knotting or Macrame-ing does produce a "textile", (ie a form of "cloth" forming part of the finished product), which therefore means that knotters or macrameists may consider "Textiles" a suitable category to submit their work and "Miscellaneous" is, therefore, their only recourse....

Thirdly: (and lastly)

Because you consider that Knotting and macrame should be submitted to the "Basketry & Weavings" category, there should be a mention of "Knotting" in the title because "Macrame" is a sub-set of Knotting and unless knotting is mentioned in some way, the title "Basketry & Weavings" actually, by definition, excludes Knotting and macrame. "Basketry, Weaving & Knotting", (In any order), wouldn't.

In conclusion:
Knotting and macrame cannot be used to search unless the Deviant has put the words in their tags.
Most of the general public interested in this particular art form will want to use Knots, knotting, macrame, etc as searchwords and would expect to see them mentioned somewhere in the deviantArt category tree which starts at the home page.

The Art/Craft of knotting includes all types of knots, braids, plaits etc which means, that without knots you wouldn't have weaving, knitting, crochet, tatting, embroidery, sewing, etc etc... which in turn means you wouldn't have clothing, fishing, parachutes, many musical instruments, many games and sports including tennis, football, archery, rock and mountain climbing.... It just goes on..... What I'm trying to say is that it is in fact so important and widespread in its use that civilization would collapse without their use.. I am not kidding!

Knotting and macrame, at their best, represent a pure form of knots, (Which were originally designed for many practical purposes such as stitches in surgery, fishing nets, attaching control wires in aeroplanes etc), which are turned into decorative forms some of which may be practical and utilitarian, to focus peoples awareness on the beauty of what is, essentially, a phenomenon necessary to day to day existence everywhere on this planet where there are people... and / or, in some cases, animals, (Gorilla's tie overhand knots and, rarely granny knots and reef knots, knot to mention the weaver bird....

Can there be many things more deserving of at least a "mention" in a list of arts & crafts?