Presentation Schedule
The Crafting of Tradition as Creative Labor: The Practice and Philosophy of Guitar Repair (104669)
Session Chair: Suk Chong Tong
This presentation will be live-streamed via Zoom (Online Access)
Wednesday, 13 May 2026 13:20
Session: Session 2
Room: Live-Stream Room 6
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
– click here to convert to your timezone
In this research, we focus on the practice of contemporary guitarist-repairer and designer Yinglin Zhang, a contemporary guitar repair specialist and designer whose work exemplifies the evolving intersections of tradition and technology in contemporary luthiery. Our discussion situates repair not merely as a technical intervention but as a form of emotional and material restoration, shaped by Yinglin’s guiding principle of “restore as original” while maximizing performance and sentimental value. Situating Zhang’s work within Tim Ingold’s concept of “materials histories” and Glenn Adamson’s articulation of "thinking through craft", the discussion conceptualizes guitar repair as a practice generated through an embodied engagement with matter, tools, and technological systems. Our research demonstrates how contemporary luthiery inhabits a mediating space where human agency and non-human materials engage each other and where materials actively shape design decisions and outcomes, thus integrating contemporary technology alongside inherited artisanal techniques. Thus we conceptualize the craft of restoration in general, and Yinglin Zhang in particular, as one of mediation—bridging innovation and tradition through attentive observation, technical precision, and ethical responsibility. His insights offer valuable perspectives for scholars examining contemporary craftsmanship, creative labor, and the material culture of musical instruments. Zhang’s work offers a critical case to reconsider repair as a site of theoretical insight into the crafting of tradition as creative labour.
Authors:
Kris Ho, Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University, China
Victor Jose Rodriguez, Chengdu Normal University, China
About the Presenter(s)
Dr Kris Ho is currently an University Associate Professor of Music at Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University, China.
See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule
Conference Comments & Feedback
Place a comment using your LinkedIn profileShare this Presentation
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress