Select one material (ceramic, metal, stone, wood, plastic, glass, fiber/textiles, etc.) and research some of the various manufacturing processes applied to that material type to create objects in the industrialized world (after c. 1750). Using approximately THREE to FIVE different objects, research and write an approximately 1500 word formal academic paper driven by a thesis and argument exploring an aspect of industrial materials and manufacturing methods (example theses: the 1960s were a period of experimentation and innovation in plastic furniture; the Arts & Crafts movement examined preindustrial methods of production and incorporated preindustrial materials and processes in their textile objects).
You may want to consider the following issues when selecting you topic and conducting your research:
• Material sources – where do materials come from; what are they?
• Material extraction/procurement and refinement – how is the raw material turned into a form that can be worked?
• Tools and processes to form or shape the material – how does the material become an object?
• Tools and processes to decorate or ornament the material
• Finishing processes
• Relationship between materials, tools and processes, and form and ornament – do the materials or manufacturing techniques lend themselves to certain formal or decorative qualities relative to other materials and processes?
• Relationship between materials and object types/functions – do certain materials or techniques work better in fulfilling certain functions or needs?
• How do material processes change over time? What causes these changes? How are new materials and techniques for making things discovered? How do they circulate within or between societies?
Sample Solution