Creative multimodal practices. Attempts on articulations from social semiotics and contemporary relational craft

Abstract

During the last decades, we have seen that communication in general is changing and becoming more multimodal in the sense that various modalities such as language, pictures, sound and materiality are combined and integrated. These tendencies, which are often referred to as the multimodal turn, lead to an increased need for field-specific and advanced knowledge of how to work with multimodal creative practices.  This article explores how aspects from the theoretical framework of social semiotics may be applied in the field of creative multimodal practices and learning.  In the article, we present some epistemological links  between social semiotics and contemporary relational craft. Some theoretical concepts are suggested and explored through examples from creative and didactical projects. Our conclusion is that the suggested theoretical concepts can be used to enhance critical thinking in creative processes and promote more precise communication between craft artists, teachers, critics, and representatives of other creative practices.