The term ‘craftsmanship’ is associated with individuality, uniqueness, decorative potential, artistic quality, attention to material and to
process. But what does craftsmanship mean today? This exhibition catalog of nearly 600 pages explores the meaning of craftsmanship in
the context of the outstanding collection of the Museum Angewandte Kunst (Frankfurt, Germany) in a monumental survey of 700
items dating from 1945 to the present. Scale reproductions of plates, furniture, cutlery, jewelry and vases highlight their surprising
variety of form. In their essays, the ten authors take diverse approaches to the broad terrain of craftsmanship: from the relationship
between East Asia and Western ceramics, via the handicrafts of the Romantic period, to the adventure that is arts and crafts today. The
title plays on the perceived parallel between the ability of the cactus to survive and thrive in adverse conditions, and the future of the
hand-made object in an industrial world.