Reflecting upon the conditions that shape design in today's world, is at the heart of Burks' ongoing project to reconsider the status of the hand-made object in an age of mass-production and planned obsolescence. Burks is sensitive to the conditions of globalization in that his works respond to how cultural traditions and craft technologies migrate from their birthplace as artisans immigrate around the world. These same forces also bring more and more artisanal products to the marketplace, both in their original useful functions and as decorative objects.
![<i>We Are All One,</i> site-specific installation at the
3rd Black Arts and Culture World Festival—www.blackworldfestival.com <i>We Are All One,</i> site-specific installation at the
3rd Black Arts and Culture World Festival—www.blackworldfestival.com](/content/dam/domusweb/en/news/2011/05/20/stephen-burks-man-made/big_345237_9521_AA_BurksWeAreAllOne(Two)_UPD.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![Prototypes & Material Compositions
(Pile Up) including Basket Lamps and
Basket Low Tables, 2010. Photo Daniel Håkansson for Readymade Projects. Prototypes & Material Compositions
(Pile Up) including Basket Lamps and
Basket Low Tables, 2010. Photo Daniel Håkansson for Readymade Projects.](/content/dam/domusweb/en/news/2011/05/20/stephen-burks-man-made/big_345237_7780_BurksBasketsPileUp1ForPressFinal8x11.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
On one hand, Man Made is an interactive design exhibition, and on the other it is an active platform for working with a collective of West African artisans whose presence is a significant part of the Harlem community.
![Stephen Burks: Double Basket Lamp, 2011. Stephen Burks: Double Basket Lamp, 2011.](/content/dam/domusweb/en/news/2011/05/20/stephen-burks-man-made/big_345237_8403_BB_BurksManMadeDouble_UPD.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![Stephen Burks: Starburst Lamp (left) and Triple Basket Table (right), 2011. Stephen Burks: Starburst Lamp (left) and Triple Basket Table (right), 2011.](/content/dam/domusweb/en/news/2011/05/20/stephen-burks-man-made/big_345237_3336_DD_BurksManMadeStarburstLamp_UPD.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
The Studio Museum in Harlem
On show through 26 June 2011
![Stephen Burks: PET Table, 2011. Stephen Burks: PET Table, 2011.](/content/dam/domusweb/en/news/2011/05/20/stephen-burks-man-made/big_345237_6779_EE_BurksManMadeUntitled_UPD.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)
![Stephen Burks: Material Composition—Totem (left) and Crown (right), 2011. Stephen Burks: Material Composition—Totem (left) and Crown (right), 2011.](/content/dam/domusweb/en/news/2011/05/20/stephen-burks-man-made/big_345237_5407_FF_BurksManMadeMaterialComposition_UPD.jpg.foto.rmedium.jpg)