Key to colours:
[brief]
[tutorial]
[research]
[process]
Title: A presentation of strategies for navigating the tension between heritage industry, design, manufacturing and contemporary output
Keywords: Re-claiming, bespoke, heritage, Workshop, PhD
Abstract: Using waste products to create the new is an old idea, but it is an idea which had fallen out of favour in recent times with the consumption driven imperative of a society which relies on a ‘linear economy’. In 1963 Heineken produced the WOBO (world bottle) beer bottle brick after a visit to the carribean by Alfred Hieneken. This example of a ‘circular economy’ product was very short lived, however. The use of byproducts or waste from manufacturing and industry is now gaining ground, and these products can now be selected to lessen the impact of manufacturing on the environment. Unfortunately, using waste to produce ‘new’ products relies on the ‘new’ bearing similarities to what was used before, and maintains the characteristics of a ‘linear’ model of consumption. What is required is a new vision of the use of waste and reclamation. Using or reimagining a reclaimed object in a contemporary design output often results in the use of this piece of heritage being relegated to ornamentation or embellishment rather than as an integral component in the intended use of the object. This project will present new strategies to interpret artefacts based on their prior use while maintaining an output which presents a contemporary aesthetic and appeal.
More recently, the focus of this MA has moved towards further study. As such, the emphasis has changed from my personal practice into a promotion and dissemination of skills to a wider audience of participants, and the idea that making can add value to society, individuals and communities. This has enabled me to take a circular journey in my studies and has allowed me to utilise a range of skills not necessarily associated with my original intentions of this programme of study.
As the Practice 2 unit progresses, there is a further opportunity to continue reading and research around the subject of Design:Craft. A further link to my reading can be found here. The reading list has been in part suggested by my tutor, David Grimshaw, and in part by discovery in the library at MMU and more recently, online resources due to the problems of access to texts caused by the Covid 19 Pandemic. This list continues to grow and evolve, as does my practice.
This unit in particular has caused me to reflect, evolve and look at my career to date – this introspection has allowed me to realise that my varied choices in life have culminated in an holistic model of practice which is quite different to the one I envisaged at the outset of this course of study. This change in direction is as a direct result of the patient and supportive guidance of the academic staff at Manchester Metropolitan University, for which I am extremely grateful.
Initial Briefing, 24.09.20
Practice 2 introduced by John Walsh and the module Learning Outcomes were presented. This module is concerned with the development and production of a body of work, in which students were encouraged to collaborate and expose the work to critical appraisal. Questions to ask:
• What is your work about?
• Who are you talking to?
• What do you do?
• What do you make?
We should strive to meet our potential but do things differently. The deadline is 20th August 2021, and the work will probably be an online submission. The outcome will be a 3,000 – 3,500 word monograph which will probably be presented online – this will be a meta reflection of the whole period of study, and we should set our own context to realise a body of work which will enhance knowledge and skills, encourage collaboration and be materially innovative. It is OK to be initially ‘fuzzy’ but there should be contextual awareness featuring theories, methodologies and a focus on the future. This module (60 credit) will be delivered online for the near future due to the Covid 19 Lockdown.
Progress Tutorial, 01.10.20 (David Grimshaw)
This should be a critical agenda to take into a PhD – The MA show will be like a conference featuring allied themes with keywords to link strands and themes. We will need to find a research area that is beyond practice – work not judged as object or product. Practice 2 will make decisions about my agenda – this should be more like a research conference output. (Make contact with Tessa as her M.Res embeds a research methodology). Discussion around Prof. Stuart Walker as an external for my MA, and how I should develop a research approach rather than a research practice – I should also come up with a research question which can be framed as a PhD, and this is an opportunity to ‘wipe the slate clean and to revisit my agenda or philosophy. This should be a connection to my practice – I started with a strong practice and it is time to start again!
Webinar 08.10.20, ‘How can ceramics clean up their act?’
Host Isabella Smith (Assistant Editor Craft Magazine)
Lewis Jones (Granby Workshops, Liverpool)
Purva Chawla (Material Driven)
Kevin Rouff (Studio ThusThat)
Malaika Byng (Crafts Council)
Interesting discussion around ‘randomness in the manufacturing process’ (Lewis Jones), ‘Designing with uncommon materials using scientific processes’ (Kevin Rouff) and ‘The transition from craft to mass production (Purva Chawla). Some discussion on using waste, scalability and using manufacturing waste with a sustainability and environmental focus. Also discussed circular economies.
Progress Tutorial, 15.10.20
Look at Envisions – Dutch group – Materials development who linked up with MDF manufacturer to create new product materials. Also look at Anish Kapoor (Light and trowel/fork set) and South Korean ceramics. Placing designers in ceramics factories (Dutch Design Week). Opens up the palette of materials – the project then has more scope and makes it sustainable – need to think about me leaving the project and it having longevity. Also needs more scope and impact for a PhD with more gravitas and potential for a 4-5 year project. More academic practice proposing the re-use of materials; a model for future ways of working. Need to look at companies who are undervaluing part of what they are doing – Ikea hacks, perhaps?
Martina Gampa – more characterful waste. Also Piet Hein Eek, Wentworth Pewterers (Richard Abdi M.D.) who are looking for more new products. Tim Parsons partnership – design with existing tooling.
‘Strategies for navigating the tension between heritage design and contemporary output’.
(Look at Anna Wadkins).
Likes working with industry — there is a PhD in cataloguing tooling! Social Inclusion projects – Identify local manufacturers and industry. (Look again at Lazarian with GF Smith and Liam Hopkins).
Lecture 29.10.20, Dr Sally Morfill
Collaborative practice – meeting people with other skills – from a textiles background but practice is more Fine Art practitioner.Themes have remained however. Jean Luc Nancy ‘Meaning emerges between things and people’.Collaborated at the Royal College of Art – ‘Hybrid’ exhibition in disused school – found objects juxtaposed. With Mary McLean 92001) ‘False Memory’ filmed piece drawing wallpaper anamorphically (Steeleye Span cover like). Photo of a photo in a corner of a space with anamorphic print exhibited – A play between different viewpoints (‘I’m Wary’. With Sylvie Vandenhoucke (2009) ‘Pairings’ – remote communication via e-mail – ‘Miriorama’ 24 cards which interconnect in any way – line between Manchester and (near) Brussels via London forms the basis of this collaboration – Brought a variety of lines which were explored within the space. ‘By day my limbs, by night my mind’ (2010). ‘A room. Another room. Any time’ (1994) performative piece – single thread held by masking tape and wrapped between columns – reflected elements within the room as it was glossy. With Karen Wood (2013) improvised dance. ‘100 meter line drawing’ (2013) Rectangular vinyl which was cut to make a line which was 100m long. The line breaks but the process could continue – Karen re-used the line as a dance partner. With Ana Cavić (2008) ‘Ladies of the press’ – gather observations insights and content from participants to create an instant zine. ‘Alphabet’ Henri Michaux (1927) – Pictograms – reconciling writing and drawing – both just lines. Recreating this by emulating Michaux’s gestures using a Wacom tablet and Adobe Illustrator which was then given to Ana as a ‘kit of lines’ – relinquishing control of the work – these were then created into poems (x5 sets of lines for x5 poems). ‘The naturalness of strange things’ (2015) drawing the weeded pieces as an additional output – published in ‘Drawing paper’ and ‘Drawing and other writings’. Created a short animation called ‘Rules that order the reading of clouds’ (2016) in which lines were introduced then re-ordered but not removed – video 3 1/2 minutes – launched throughout the world and presented at conferences. ‘I am not listening’ (2019) is a vinyl ball which through gesture affects the sound of the poem as it is being read using vibrohaptic technology – written as a collaborative paper. With Susan Giles (2019) met at a conference on gesture. ‘Can you say something’ (2012) is a description of two architects in conversation with mapped hand gestures producing a ‘familiar’ outcome – a series of drawings. Data capture using video with motion capture or xBox motion capture. Invited people around Hyde Park to describe their feelings about previous exhibitions – Vinyl cut again then weeded – hole shapes left behind were used to create a series of drawings. Drawings of conversations. Sculptures using 3D printers – Installation of sculptures.
Progress Tutorial, 29.10.20
Looking at industry in and around Blackburn but finding it difficult to access because of lockdown and work pressures (Line manager has left, had to isolate because of familial positive Covid test and teach from home, upcoming re-validation with Lancaster University). Could not meet with Liam Hopkins of Lazarian. Discussions with Jamie Holman about the Art in Manufacturing initiative but this is on hold at the moment. Reading Adam Smith’s ‘The Theory of Modern Sentiments’, looking at Martino Gamper, Piet Hein Eek and David Alhadeff – founder of ‘The future perfect’. Discussed Liam Hopkins and cardboard binoculars, and traditional manufacture. Talked about Jaime Hayon/Marcel Wanders, Alessi and Terence Conran and the possibility of well thought out giftware.Discussion around undiscovered value within companies – untapped resources. Looked at Richard Sweeney and his paper sculptures – finding the value of the process – Looking for the thing that is worthless/waste and making this into a thing of value – reducing costs and adding value. Talked about the Halo Furnishings project with Knowledge Transfer Partnership – now selling in John Lewis. ‘Let people see the making’ as there is a market there which is wealthy and who buy into the idea of ‘hand crafted’. Question asked – ‘Where will I pitch my product to?’ Discussed Ferrious in Altrincham, Tent in London and maker galleries like Gallery Fumi in Hockston Square. Also talked about Dave and Tasha of Winter and Kurth who sell at Gallery Fumi – finding the beauty in ordinary materials. Discussed positioning of offering – between craft and high end design, and ‘looking for value in heritage design’.
Correspondence from Stuart Haygarth, 04.11.20
While researching practitioners working with waste, I sent a question to Stuart Haygarth via his website asking about his practice as a maker, his processes and his attitude towards commercialism in his design work. After a long delay, he replied via e-mail, which is transcribed below:
Questions…
Stuart Haygarth<info@stuarthaygarth.com>
4/11/2020 13:20
To thissy01@virginmedia.com
Dear Mark,
Apologies for the long delay in getting back to you, life and work has been quite hectic over the last few months ( and continues).
To answer your question: I have never seen myself as an environmentalist or recycler but I’ve always hated waste and always seen a use for discarded materials or objects. The recycling/ upcycling is really a healthy by-product of where my interest lies, the stories and human links to the objects/materials are at the forefront of my work. My ideas are inspired by objects that have an interesting human association and I try and give these overlooked objects/materials a ‘new life’. Most of my work is functional (lighting, storage, tables) and when I started, I deeply believed that there are enough beautifully designed & functional furniture pieces in the world and I didn’t want to add to this.
Unfortunately in this world we have to think commercially to survive, to pay mortgages and studio rents and feed ourselves, artists can’t live on fresh air alone. When I started making this type of work around 2005 I didn’t set out with a commercially orientated mind, I simply made what I wanted to make. Fortunately the work was well received and overtime a commercial sales side has opened up ( gallery etc) – I was lucky and I’m still lucky that I can still make work that I want to make and not compromise my ideas.
I hope this helps answer your questions, good luck with your own work and teaching.
All the best,
Stuart
Conference 09.11.20, Masterclass with Alex Zawadski
(Accessed Design in Dialogue talk with Paul Cocksedge and Glenn Adamson (01.04.20) – creating objects of art with the throwaway – polystyrene cups, sheet metal folded into a table, concrete cores, seating from scaffolding boards, cross laminated timber (CLT), frozen copper legs friction fitting into a tabletop, recycling speakers into bluetooth speakers, concrete tapered hole with rolled steel forming cantilevered seating. (1:08:43 duration),
Discussed Monoha – Japanese art movement with Lee Ufan and Nobu Sekine, Ron Arad’s concrete stereo, Richard Serra and use of Corten steel, ‘Excavation:eviction’ using concrete cores to make furniture. ‘Please Be Seated’ project uses recycled scaffold boards which are legally only allowed to be used once in scaffold.
Conference 11.11.20, Making a Model Archive – The Ruskin Lancaster University
Dejan Sudjic OBE, Jamie Holman, Dalia James, Lauren Zawadski, Prof. Judith Mottram, Harriet Hill-Payne and Sandra Kemp.
‘Explore the relevance of the design archive today – 10 minute provocations on the notion of “the archive”‘
Dejan Sudjic OBE- presented a series of archives including Joseph Ghandi, Research Samples archive, Prada collection, Hertzogen Remuran’s building, craft made cabinets, Norman Foster’s collection of architectural models, Richard Rogers archive, Orgel Panuk – ‘The Museum of Innocence’, Andy Warhol’s ‘The Box’ project, Louie Baragan and the Vitra Foundation, Gill Madjud ‘The Proposal’ (film) ‘A Post Mortem Love Triangle’, extracted ash from Baragan’s tomb made into a diamond ring.
Dalia James discussed Design Philosophy influenced by William Morris and Josef Albers, Red Hill House in Bexleyheath.
Lauren Zawadski discussed DecoPublique and the National Festival of Making, Art in Manufacturing.
Jamie Holman talked about his research interest in industrial spaces, Roach Bridge Mill placement in Art In Manufacturing (Season 1), William Billington poem of 1873 ‘Blackburn to the Fore’ performed by the Blackburn People’s Choir.
Prof Judith Mottram discussed ‘The story of a cone’ – Atkinson Design Associates, Leicester (1982 – 2015), Custodian of the Archives, casting of various artefacts from this collection.
Progress Review Seminar, 12.11.20
Discussion around upcoming Professional Platforms unit, and the fact that CUTE Values cannot run this year.
Campanas and the Favella Chair, my interest is in looking at heritage in a contemporary product, Ian MacIntyre ‘Brown Betty Teapot’ project – looking at the archive and re-engineering the teapot using the archive as inspiration, re-use of tooling – look for manufacturers not wholesalers, Tim Ingold framing Palimpsest within academic research. Am I doing a one off or a repeatable? Look at the difference between waste and under-utilised resources – the value in heritage is becoming irrelevant.
James also presented his progress – ‘All things to all people’ – the balance between boundaries – cultural, societal, class etc. A product that can be truly broad – customisable? This is key to broad appeal. Looking at producing a product which is broad and appeals to a wide variety of people – can become bland (ie. Toyota Corolla, School shoes), Coke bottle and Mini are lively although the original Mini scores higher than the new Mini…
Seminar 26.11.20, Building Networks with Ian Whadcock,
Principles are cross disciplinary and similar, no matter what your practice is. 5 years on video – BA graduates talking about their journeys into employment. Day-to-day industry knowledge is important. Illustration example – AOI annual directories – list of contacts. Bikini lists – database of contacts. Hand written ‘snail mail’ makes a huge difference – Illustrate the envelope. If it is digital, less than 5Mb. Use LinkedIn, but keep it current. Keep Social Media and blogs up to date – be habitual!
Progress Tutorial, 26.11.20
Discussion around using heritage or waste. Look at some books – Adhocism by Charles Jencks, Form Follows Idea by Ralph Ball, and Thinking Objects by Tim Parsons. Waste Vs Heritage – Heritage always wins out! Dadaism – Duchamp, Picasso – El Toro. Where does my idea sit within the salvage idea? The key is the resource- unless it is repeatable and characterful, it will not work. Look at under-utilised components that can be repurposed and re-presented.
Progress Tutorial, 10.12.20
A discussion around the line between salvage and the readymade – make sure this fits within heritage and narratives (Lights at the unit, perhaps?) What about deconstructing? What could the shade become? What about the other components? Look at the object creatively – keep it recognisable as a component – Bunsen burners into a more interestingly used item, perhaps? The ‘Steam Punk’ aesthetic is lazy – avoid the ‘Steam Punk Shorthand’. Look at the components within objects – What can I do with those parts? The components which look interesting should have other bits manufactured to go with these. Taking the idea of readymades away from salvage into the idea of components. Plumbing parts? Nostalgia? New parts that can still be bought but used differently? Look at pieces of pressed steel and things which are cast? Look at Moooi and Droog – Lamps – Spider and Milk Bottle. Look at the sense of humour in objects – the ‘Bottoms up’ Doorbell, for example. Deconstruct the fence topper cast items as an exercise.
Cast fence toppers experimentation, 19.12.20
These fence toppers were bought as a job lot at auction, and were manufactured in the 1850’s to top a fencing system by Francis Morton and Company.
These items proved to be difficult to work with – although they appeared to be similar, these were hand cast items and the weights varied from 312g up to 421g. The shape was roughly oval although there was no consistency in the internal or external dimensions of this shape. As the material was a cast iron, there was no opportunity to weld parts to these pieces. The objects were made into a mobile style candle holder (after Alexander Calder), but as the candles burned, the weight and therefore balance of the mobile structure was affected, rendering it potentially dangerous in a domestic environment.
I also looked at the Machinist lamps I had at my workshop – these were bought as a job lot from an engineering company, and although in need of refurbishment, these had the required ‘heritage’ and industrial aesthetic to be suitable for Practice 2. they have a strong visual appeal, and although the thought of deconstructing these into components was thought about, there is an argument that a lamp is a lamp, and any other use would seem contrived or forced. the direction I will take is to refurbish these items, retaining their patina and age related imperfections while using new components that have been sourced from heritage manufacturers and which are in keeping with the age of the lamp. These will be offered for sale as a domestic item of furniture, thereby changing the ‘language’ and setting of the object from one of industry to that of a contemporary domestic environment. this is something I have done in the past and is a contemporary ‘look’, as illustrated below by the Crysteel enamel lamp shades salvaged in 1991 from the former East Lancashire Coach Builders factory in Blackburn which are now used in my Garden Room.
24.12.20
The initial phase of creating the Machinist Lamp was to look at the stock that I had acquired. The intent is to make a series of lights so the these are a repeatable process and these would form a ‘stock’ of product for sale in a limited quantity.
30.12.20
The lamps were inspected and as there would be multiple builds, three were selected for their similarity to each other (Machinist Lamps 2, 4 and 6). These were checked carefully, and in this inspection process, it was discovered that there was similar damage on the last ‘arm’ of each lamp. The decision was therefore taken to make each lamp a two armed offering. Stripdown then took place, and the initial lamp was carefully broken down into component parts.
Progress Tutorial, 14.01.21
‘The dead end revealed information’. Can a tulip shape become a bowl? Put odd things in something which juxtaposes or contrasts with it?
This is the start of the project, not the project.
Looked at MMU YouTube channel – Tim Parsons interview.
The readymade as a re-definable component – Looking at plumbing components – Refined aesthetic language – not welding and salvage!
Look at Tim Parsons ‘Spindle Candle’ and ‘Beer Glass Coffee Mug’ – referencing the readymade? Music stand reconfigured. (Discussion around the Music Stand objects which were re-engineered to strengthen the components to support the additional weight of the reconfigured purpose).
17.01.21
The Machinist Lamp was designed to be mounted onto a machine, but this would be unsuitable within a domestic environment. The original intent for the project was to engage the services of a heritage manufacturer to create a base to mount this lamp to. As this was an impossibility (manufacturers were difficult to contact during lockdown), and alternative base had to be sourced. The pipe gate valve illustrated below was ‘recovered’ from a skip at my work after repair work to the air conditioning system had been carried out. The piece contained three heavy flanges which should be suitable bases for the lamps.
23.01.21
Stripdown of the Pipe Gate Valve was carried out using an air impact gun. The component pieces were then stored for later use, apart from the lower flange (seen at the bottom of the photograph below next to the air impact gun.
24.01.21
The pipe flange was further reduced using an angle grinder and cut-off disk to remove the welded pipe joint. This was then placed in my neighbour’s Colchester Student lathe as the size and weight of this piece is beyond the capabilities of my smaller Boxford CUD lathe. The flange was faced and given a recessed groove to accommodate the steel disk which would form the transition between the base of the Machinist Lamp and the flange base.
Lecture 28.01.21, Jo Berry
Arts and Science – studied Graphics at Newcastle University – Hancock Museum and roadkill. Sci-Arts conference in 2002. ‘Demystifying art and science through using creative, playful methodologies’. Art as the ‘add-on in science. Queen’s Medical School in Nottingham with a Wellcome Trust Grant. Zeiss collaboration leading to a BBC4 spinoff. Artist in Residence at the Lakeside Studios. ‘Play is the enabler’. ‘Give myself permission to move on with my practice’. How does this work in reality? How do you decide that this area of your work is close enough to completion to move on from? What criteria do you feel has been met to justify that decision to yourself? Discussion…
Progress Tutorial, 28.01.21
Discussion around funded PhD opportunities – There is a talk tonight at 5.15pm. The issue will be working – I could do a funded PhD , but I would need to drop my contract to a 0.6. Talked about affordable space in which to make – public engagement in the built environment. Project in Chile where contractors built half the house leading to self authorship within cities.
Talked about the Machinist Lamp project – Retaining it’s character with as little adaptation as possible – Don’t fall down the Steam Punk hole! Aesthetic elegance – of course you do that with it – like Achille Castiglioni and his bicycle seat, or Tim Parsons etc. Where is the line between readymades and salvage? (Appropriateness?) ‘This is a brilliant way of using this thing’.
What is the character of this piece? The key element of this object? Does it do everything that it is talking about? The functions of the saddle is still contained within the (Castiglioni’s Bicycle seat) object.
Discussion around the base – too problematic to cast a base so using a found pipe flange turned and modified in the lathe to act as a base. ‘If the flange was not a flange, what could it be?’ Also, ‘Make use of the holes. Celebrate the holes!’. ‘If we are not doing salvaging but repurposing, what are the benefits of ‘tweaking’ the design?’ ‘Do it at the point of manufacture!’
30.01.21
Assembly and testing of the Machinist Lamp was completed and the lamp was aesthetically pleasing, apart from the holes in the base. The phrase ‘Celebrate the holes’ was coined by David Grimshaw in order to force resolution to the issue. Nevertheless, the lamp worked well (despite the holes), and the project reached an impasse until this issue could be resolved. It became a regular Progress Tutorial topic, and ‘asking the holes what they wanted to be’ became an interesting problem to solve.
Provocation 28.01.21, ‘The Future of Futures?’
Martyn Evans, Dan Dubonowitz, Nick Dunn
Facimo Abandonato – The children’s colonies of Mussolini’s Italy – 1925 – 1940 – Mussolini embarked on an ambitious building project – Instruments of perpetual revolution – 1927 – Stefan Scheberg – Gropius – theatre designer.
Biosphere (Expo 67), Richard Buckminster Fuller – Burned down 20.05.76. Willie Sutton (Sutton’s Law?) Reporter: ‘Why do you rob banks?’ Willie Sutton: ‘Because that’s where the money is!’ Norman Bel Geddes Futurama (World’s Fair 1939). Probable, Preferable, Plausible, Possible Futures (Illustrated as cones overlaying each other radiating from a single point). Technological Futures, Social Futures, Global Futures (Dunn and Cureton 2020 from ‘The vision of smartness and the occlusion of alternatives‘). Reporter: ‘Why do you design for seven generations?’ You: ‘Because that’s where the future is today.’
Professional Platforms Launch, 11.02.21
At this point, the Practice 2 unit was placed on temporary hold for the launch of the Professional Platforms unit. The emphasis for Practice 2 shifted after this point to encompass the work completed in Professional Platforms, which inevitably changed the focus of Practice 2. the full submission for Professional Platforms can be found here. Tutorial sessions had a shared focus between these two units at this point so only information relevant to the Practice 2 unit will be included.
Progress Tutorial, 18.02.21
The self negotiated project would be useful to inform the Practice 2 project rather than bolstering it. This could be used to frame and research PhD applications? Discussion around cities and spaces within cities disrupting, engaging and interrogating the lived experience. Talked about liminal spaces – those areas in between spaces and the post retail world after the Covid pandemic. Also discussed ‘Celebrating the holes’ and discussed asking the holes what they wanted to be…
Lecture 18.02.21, Fabrizio Cocchiarella
Studied 3D design then started creating spaces – Comme de Garçon store in Paris with kinetic furniture. Several retail spaces (voyeuristic projections of changing rooms, glasses kinetically moving, Tate). RCA final project ‘Design for Fear’ performance project at the Whitechapel Art Gallery. David Gill galleries ‘making unusual things’. Novkarod (sp.?) Millington Associates – Noike Concept Store – Retail spaces become brand experiences. Worked in film and TV. Graphicobject studio – gender specific browsing on the web. ‘Manchester School of Art is a bridge between the acceptable and the possible’. Trips to Lisbon. Unit X project – merging disciplines. Projects then change to smaller interventions – Liminal Ladder, beauty spots etc. (creating personal landmarks). Research group – The Life Group – ‘Lining in Future Ecologies’. Pomona encounters – Walk around the Pomona Island – Spaces for healthy living, Fruitful Futures book. Opiso City Workshop again on Pomona Island in Trafford – Brownfield sites in the city – beyond commercial focus. Para-Design – ‘Design practice as an interface to explore and interpret paranormal phenomenon’ – UFO group based in Todmorden (‘UFO alley’). Parapsychology, Oldham Coliseum – want to transpot their ghost. Ordsall Hall – scientific experiments. Design Alchemy – Para-Design. Spiritualist stuff in Holland – Cell 129 in Arnhem Panopticon Prison. Superstition (device for talking to dead designers. Recent research around belief. joan of Art – Art school ghost at the Manchester School of Art – various machines to visualise Joan – Mediumistic devices. ‘Sometimes it is useful to be constructively unrealistic’.
Unit X Design Talks 11.03.21, – Joe Hartley
Multi-faceted approach to design – open minded, hands on making and material exploration. Photo of teapot in the shape of a dinosaur produced in Cumbria (aged 8). Studied 3D design in 2009. Graduated in 2012 – collection based in clay, wood and fabric – sourdough bread. Studio space in Manchester – clay products – toast rack process. Side table with extruded legs – pressure ‘kick’ as a result of the extrusion process – kick is different depending on the moisture content of the clay. The Pilcrow – new square called Nema in Manchester – built a pub called The Pilcrow. Built with members of the public over a year – worked with architects North Mill with engagement project so that people came down to help. Workshops held within the space – took two years eventually. Tables with clay inlays on ply tops. Furniture came from parts from architectural Christmas Tree designed by Hungarian firm. Sam Buckley (chef). Where the light gets in dehydrated powders, crisps where the flavours are self added. Plant – Opening a workshop space in unused building called ‘Plant’ – again people invited to make the space. Open door policy – all times, all comers.Role at Noma is to operate the outdoor space – run events in the square – set up a company called Standard Practice. Plant IE collaboration (Landscape company) and the two companies have now merged into one entity – open minded approach to practice has led to the place he is in now. Old Bank residency – need to be very nimble and use spaces as they become empty. Produce spaces which ‘hover’ so that these do not damage the fabric of the building – ‘pay as you feel’ luncheon events and hall space – now in the basement of the Danzig building which may be the space for the next five years. New Century Gardens – disused land on Noma – working closely with Planet to develop the disused land – small pocket of land and started tending to this land. By doing the garden, they have ‘claimed’ the land so that it can be kept as a garden. British Ceramics Biennial – Middleport Pottery – The Wharf – at the back of the space – Pottery left on crates made out of hazel – ancillary trade in hazel. Produced an atmospheric sound space that people had to pass through to make clay tiles. Products available in the Whitworth shop. Mirror frame. Platfields Market Garden – community garden space – growing vegetables. Found clay on the site which has been used to make things. Explored digging the clay, making it useable then using it to make products. Shelter is a ‘processing plant’ and workshops will be coming up in the spring.
P2 Project Development Presentation 11.03.21
The participating students have been anonymised so that their identities do not form part of this submission which will be hosted online and will therefore be in the public domain.
Student 1 – Teatowels – autobiographical pieces – emotional pieces. MRKH syndrome. Loss and grief.
Student 2 – Practice one and Sci-Arts units. Looking at anxiety. Breath patterns – using breathing as part of the process of creation.
Student 3 – Pineapple brand – sustainable upcycling, ethical. Customer personae, designs of collection and accessories made from offcuts, print development.
Me – Car Crash presentation.
Student 5 – Mould, decay and growth in the home, surface experiments with growth of mould – create a collection of sheet wallpaper – looking at small manufacturers – printer mistakes, created cyanotypes.
Student 6 – Materiality of glitches and folds – making the body abstract, create an immersive experience.
Student 7 – Function – memory – loss – walls, windows, cardigan.
Student 8 – Wearing my heart on my sleeve – embroidery.
My description of the presentation is very critical, but I was unprepared for the presentation and therefore did not present my work to the best of my abilities. Learning did however take place.
Progress Tutorial, 01.04.21
Other students starting to come back in and the final timetable is starting to take shape. Testing Time will be one week earlier, however. I am working on Professional Platforms, to the detriment of Practice 2. Looking at culture and context – how we give value to objects – Phenomenology. Practice 2 will have more scope for an online and physical submission but it may be too risky for a physical show – August for submission but perhaps needs a physical submission. An opportunity to see more of the readymade rather than the salvage.
Designers can be useful to manufacturing – ‘this is what you have and this is how we can use it’. Underpinning for the PhD – the physicality of objects – who is interested in this and why are people interested in this? Upcycling but in a small scale industrial context? Moulds/tools as readymades? Culture of one thing and applying it to another thing/culture eg. the philosophy of craft making and taking this to industry using the philosophy of CAD making/perfection, etc.
Look at Richard Feynman – string theory – string diagrams. Using drawing as a way of visualising physics. Freedom of mind applied to physics. There is a film (Space Mission). (Jaques Tati – origin of Mr. Bean).
Practical approach of using and finding readymades and finding the value in this to industry? Frame this as economically valuable – add value to production to the benefit of industry. ‘My thought process at the unit’. Find some case studies – into industry and have a look around. Mark Rochester and Evertaut involved in remanufacture – have a chat and see if this can be the industry. Tim Parsons – critique the music stand . Imposter syndrome – embrace this. 800 words could become the guide for this Practice 2 unit. Tailor the last bit of the MA towards the PhD. Salvage should not stay in the shed and should be taken into industry. Next steps – talk to MR and look at the components.
03.05.21
The problem of the holes had taken a while to resolve. There were various options proposed, including resin, oversized ball bearings and oak plugs. However, the final solution was to machine a series of ‘feet’ using the small Boxford CUD lathe and bright steel bar. The feet were manufactured using a manual process, so the use of accurate measuring was essential. All eight feet were created after a prototype to test the feasibility was manufactured. These are simply placed into the holes without any mechanical interventions. The problem of ‘celebrating the holes’ was finally solved! The added bonus is that the feet serve as a suitable way of allowing the wire to pass freely under the base, (a problem in itself which would require complex drilling and machining otherwise.
06.05.21
The Richard Feynman learning technique:
1. Teach to an 11 year old.
2. Identify the gaps in the explanation. Go back to the source.
3. Organise and simplify.
4. Transmit. Run it past someone.
Thinking about the aesthetic ideal – Commodification and privatisation resulting in domination – sense of place. Also Industrialisation into de-industrialisation.
Looking at Neil Brenner – New Urban Spaces – Urban Theory and the Scale Question.
Henri Lefebvre – Selected Essays – State, Space, World.
Robert Fantinatto and Leesa Beales – Echoes of Forgotten Places:Urban Exploration, Industrial Archaeology and the Aesthetics of Decay.
Progress Tutorial, 06.05.21
Still on Professional Platforms unit – How will this output on the Professional Practice 2 output?
‘Link up Practice 2 with professional Platforms’!
LUDEC making better places to live – reclassification of one thing to another – redundancy into usefulness. Reclassification of thing into a new thing referencing the needs of a new society – Repurposing for a changed society.
Speculative end user who needs what I can make! Office space and retail space – What is the city for, then? Mayfield in Manchester – leisure experience and parks. LUDEC – Look at cities. Daniel Charney – sits between makers, crafts and industry. Project about recycling or repurposing things from an office? Can start to be more speculative – speculative propositions.
Dunne and Raby – Hertzian tales – Speculative everything – Re-wilding of city centres. Bring in the principles of the Gas Bottle project and apply it to a city – research based on speculative proposals. The principles of the project related to Covid? Speculating on a development of thinking – think about redefinition and apply to a speculative idea about a city. Research is all about impact – who is this useful for? Extend it to cities, perhaps? Think about how I re-engage people with making? Where can I take this so that people are excited and interested in the project? This could still be very practical – there can be more makerspaces because of the current climate. This is what I want to facilitate in the future. Look at the world and speculation. Unto this last – Brick Lane in London.
What I do for Practice 2 doesn’t feel like an end, rather a beginning!
Progress Tutorial, 20.05.21
There is a chance I can now attend some Tuesday sessions as my work at UCBC has now been largely completed.
Testing Time is coming up soon (24.06.21) – presenting work to an external voice.
thinking about makerspaces – Autonomous space within a space?
Making product at the moment but wrap this around to become adaptable processes – the flypress in the corner, etc. What a makerspace should be as an entity.
This is what I am about – back to a manifesto.
Skilled/Unskilled/Semi-skilled processes – take to the manifesto.
Container architecture? What equipment would be good to go in there? Differing levels of technical skills – from hand saw to table saw? Bring a pallet and go home with a garden chair? Work up this proposal for Testing Time – container workshop for the benefit of a community.
Progress Tutorial, 03.06.21
Mobile Micro Makerspaces – sounds like it could sit within community and architecture – funding from re-generation, etc.
Nick Dunn/Stuart Walker – My PhD proposal is more about communities. Regenerating Cities bid – run through architecture – industry for tech – 3D printing and laser cutting? (Daniel Charney – Professor at Kingston).
Bring it all together – Apply for PhD. Finish the MA showing my skills to demonstrate limited technology to convert/make/create. The empowerment of people to be able to do this. It is the space which enables the potential plus my enthusiasm for the project.
Pecha Kucha next week – 20 slides x 20 seconds. Why I made the Machine Lamp/Burners and onto the bigger idea with the PhD. (Bring in my background – Graphics//Making//Education//Community). This will be all day Tuesday 10.30 – 1.00 / 2.00 – 5.00. Edited clarity for Testing Time – this begins two weeks later. Jay runs the new design innovation with Martyn Evans, perhaps? Introduced a new initiative called ‘Design Factory’.
Look at the next 10 – 12 weeks – What do I want to present at the end? How will this support the PhD proposal in the next steps?
Progress Tutorial, 24.06.21
(Testing Time sign up opens today at 6.00pm – Sign up for 3)
Speakers I would like to see are:
Cat Drew – Mon 28th June @ 10.00 am.
(Architecture and the built environment, Healthier, happier and safer lives, UK Government Policy Lab).
Danielle Molyneux – Tuesday 29th June @ 2.00pm.
(Community, collaboration and taking up space).
Youth Studio – Thursday 1st July @ 1.30pm.
(Life and Style, Culture and Commerce).
Zoet Mulder – Monday 5th July @1.30pm
(Scale, atmosphere and sustainable materials, Inner city restructuring, specific characteristics of the location).
A.B.Rogers – Thursday 8th July @ 10.00am.
(Pragmatic and functional, micro living for students).
Testers I would like to see are:
Kristina Niedderer – Mindful interaction and behaviour change.
Helen Darnell – Workplace Design, personalisation and adaptability.
(Thursday 8th July @ 200pm).
Jea Na – Design Innovation at macro and micro levels.
(Tuesday 6th July @ 2.00pm).
Geoffrey Mann – Art, craft and design, time and motion.
(Thursday 1st July @ 10.00am).
I need to complete a series of 5 minute presentations – the bit at the end is the most important thing. Frame the log-burner as a self-build project – something that people can do in the makerspace. Make it in a day. This could be a community initiative funded by councils, perhaps? Look at what I have done and frame it with the PhD.
* What am I doing?
* Why am I doing it?
* Why is it important?
* What is it for?
Adjust each presentation for each person / change the emphasis. Test how I present what I’m doing and practice the pitch.
Testing Time: 28.06.21, Cat Drew
Introduction. Expanding the role of design. 1944 – ‘To promote by all practicable means the improvement of design in the products of British industry’. 2020 – ‘Our vision is a world where design is a force for change’. Swing tag, 1964. The design economy generated £85.2 billion in 2016. Social impact of design – reducing A+E aggression.Transform ageing. Environmental design – sustainability, low carbon, environmental. Background and projects. What is design? Head, heart, hand. Double diamond design process – Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver. Design Deeply, Design Disruptively, Design Collaboratively, Design Democratically. Design in the public sector. Net zero. Existing frameworks and tools. Four characteristics. Six principles. Elements of a process. design economy – stories and data – a platform – environmental/social etc.
Role of design in creating – Data led lens – is there still room for intuition in the process? When will design become valued as a profession? Social versus economic value – with environmentalism.
Testing Time – 01.07.21, Geoffrey Mann
Look at Lazarian
Men’s Sheds initiative
The Tool Library in Leith
David Charney – Fix birds, V&A exhibition (RCA)
Honesty to the process
Funding opportunities
‘Postgrad needs to be more than a well made object’
Testing Time – 06.07.21, Jea Na
Look at mobile libraries for their community value
Look at Hatch in Manchester
Testing Time – 08.07.21, Helen Darnell
Look at Hackman.org.uk
Look at the Assemble project in Liverpool
Roger ??
Run a workshop – Use as a piece of introspection – use the lamp as the identity
Look at the Pilcrow Pub in Manchester.
Progress Tutorial, 15.07.21
Testing Time discussed – gone from ‘I make stuff’ to ‘I understand the value of making stuff’.
I am taking the project into workshops – Inaugural workshop will be a ‘Bring a Bottle’ workshop.Drop a gas bottle off or purchase as part of the workshop, perhaps?
£50 per participant – look at the economic model – is it funded by a 3rd party (ie. councils, charities etc.) or would it be funded by the attendees?
How do I frame everything now? Workshops + readymades to deliver this impact – wellbeing – valuing the process – satisfaction – value through the experience. Look at the market rate for workshops. Write Practice 2 up using this focus. Don’t talk about what I’m making – the bigger idea is more important!
The idea of craft as a making process.
The lamps are the product, not the value. Run a workshop – write this up as the culmination of the project. Show the depth of the potential – why is it more important to run a workshop than sell someone a lamp?
(I have bought a van).
Seminar: 20.07.21, FMP and P2 preparation for assessment
The monograph – 3,000 – 3,500 words
Practice 2 – Expose your work to critical appraisal – Include Testing Time.All Learning Outcomes are marked holistically – interdependent, interconnected, makes a whole.
(Discussion of Learning Outcomes 1 – 5)
Monograph – The work should be addressed to a ‘general informed reader’ rather than a subject specialist. Word count should be 3,250 + or – 10%. This does not include captions, quotes, bibliography or appendices. Text should be reflective. Edit – less is more, more or less! Include imagery – help to inform the reader – should be within the text and should illustrate the text. Caption and reference images.
Demonstrate awareness of the breadth of literature. Demonstrate the ability to synthesise and analyse information collected through research. Is it in the context of existing practice? Demonstrate the consideration of professional context (ie. the PhD). Structure helps to demonstrate clarity of thought.
Contents//Introduction or background//methods//discussion of issues//critical reflection//resolution or conclusion//bibliography//appendices
Portfolio of up to 60 pages.
Progress Tutorial, 22.07.21
Discussed the ‘swerve’ in the middle – taking myself from being a maker into the encourager of others. Place is important – this area is economically deprived. A change in the role – I am the conduit to making. Trialling the workshop – enable people to make. ‘Bring a bottle’. (Look at recording the event using photographs, participant pre and post questionnaires, post event testimonials, liability issues.
One more tutorial on 12th August – the workshop is on the same week as this so can give an update.
Look at Assembly – Liverpool group who won the Turner Prize.
29.07.21
The planning for the workshop has now been completed and although there has been a reasonable amount of research into this aspect, I feel that there is more work to be done in this area, particularly around the legal aspects of providing an activity based workshop. There has been a pre- and post- workshop questionnaire produced, and enough Personal Protective Equipment has been purchased so that each attendee will be suitably protected during the event based on the risk assessment for Workshop procedures carried out in Practice 1. There has been further research carried out into the specific risks involved in Plasma Cutting, Welding and grinding and all attendees will be provided with welding gloves, safety glasses and specific Weld 5 shade safety glasses (which offer protection from IR and UV light and 45m/s Impact Protection). All attendees will be advised to wear cotton based clothing which covers all parts of the arms and legs, and additional coveralls can be provided in the event that attendees are not suitably attired for the workshop event. All attendees have also been instructed to wear appropriate leather safety boots. The question of liability has been investigated, and this has been very problematic – My investigations have found that the standard template style liability waiver forms for most activities are not legally binding and are basically worthless. In the event of an incident or accident, there is no liability protection offered by these documents unless these are drawn up by a solicitor. Despite this, a form has been produced but it is unlikely to be used in this instance.
02.08.21
A PDF document was sent to the three attendees containing an invitation to the workshop. These attendees were pre-selected (attendees ‘S’, ‘J’ and ‘A’) as there was not enough time to open the event to a wider audience, and the event was a ‘test bed’ to ensure that the format of the day and equipment were suitable. The attendees all responded, but sadly one attendee (attendee ‘A’) had family commitments which meant that he was unable to attend. The remaining two attendees were also provided with a Pre Workshop questionnaire to gauge their experience and expectations of the event. These were returned on the day of the event and were used prior to commencement to gauge the skill level of the delegates and pitch the delivery accordingly.
11.08.21
After the attendees returned their Pre Workshop Questionnaire sheets, breakfast was provided and a discussion about Workshop Health and Safety was facilitated by the event organiser. Attendees were given their PPE, and these were all new items which were gifted to the attendees as a ‘thank you’ for their participation. In a ‘normal’ workshop, there would be a stock of these items available but these would be returned at the end of the session. The attendees were asked to choose a bottle – these were pre-emptied and filled with water during the previous week, as the logistics of making the Gas Bottle safe to use would require these being delivered to the workshop ahead of the event – This was not really an issue as there is always a ready ‘stock’ of these items available, and future workshops of this nature may take the form of an exchange of gas bottles, rather than using the bottle which you bring with you. The workshop commenced with demonstrations followed by attendees replicating the demonstrations on their own gas bottle. This was the format of the day, and tasks were ordered sequentially, with both delegates completing these tasks before moving onto the next one. The format was very successful, and feedback given during the event was very positive. The Plasma Cutting and Welding tasks were particularly well received, as both attendees had not experienced these methods of making or equipment prior to the event. One attendee (attendee ‘S’) had a commitment to work on the day of the event – this was revealed at the start of the session – and had to leave at 2.30pm, before completing his HP13 burner. He left with a commitment to return the following day to complete the project however, which he did. (For the purposes of this process write up, this will be assumed to have been carried out over one day, however). The attendees were busy throughout the day(s), and both completed the construction of their burners in a timely manner. The event(s) concluded at 4.30pm, and the attendees were given instruction to complete the paint removal and painting of their burners in their own time, with tips on how to effectively carry out this task. Both attendees then filled out a Post Workshop Questionnaire (this was a similar document to the Pre Workshop Questionnaire to ascertain if learning had taken place). Both attendees left the workshop happy, tired and with a viable product. In retrospect, three attendees was perhaps over optimistic given that the event was busy throughout, and future events may have to be given revised timescales or the number of attendees capped at two delegates.
12.08.21
Below are the Post Workshop questionnaires followed by some images sent by the workshop attendees after they had both completed their HP13 burners.
19.08.21
Conclusions, evaluations and next steps
This project has proved to be an incredibly positive experience. It has allowed me to make sense of both my studies at Manchester Metropolitan University and of my career to date. It has also allowed me to have an ‘exit strategy’ and a future option for Doctoral study and a direction for further practice. The research and reading I have carried out for all Design:Craft units have underpinned this and the expert guidance and tuition I have received has facilitated this. The references to the pandemic throughout this document are not ‘in mitigation’ or an excuse for the work – I am a firm believer that my work and destiny was always in my own hands throughout my studies, and I am a problem solver by nature – the issues faced were not just my issues, and the pandemic did not just happen to me. The pandemic issues are referenced to try to give understanding and justification to the choices I made when faced with these.
The opportunity to reflect is something I have not had the space or time to do in the past – work (which is the need to earn money) or career (the ongoing pretence of the importance of ‘work’) does not often afford the space for reflection. This unit has allowed me to ‘make sense’ of the directions and choices I have made in the past and to have an understanding of just how holistic my working and academic lives have been within the context of my current position and future direction – I have in the past referred to my working life as a collection of disparate jobs which have been used to earn money rather than a series of well-made choices with an underpinning plan of action guiding these decisions. I have not always chosen work or career paths, rather looked for ‘interesting’ employment propositions (when the motivation of necessity is not the main choice factor). I now understand that the skills I have gained are not silos of knowledge but can be used interchangeably within multiple contexts to ensure that an outcome is achieved.
The Machinist Lamp could be viewed as a false start, but I prefer to look at this as a positive aspect of the Practice 2 module – the fact that the Unit changed direction to deliver an outcome which was not even considered at the start of the Unit was as a result of informed choices made from changing information based on research, interactions, discussions and a shift in ambitions. ‘What is (your) best strategy that will give (you) the best career outcome?’ Dr Pete Dale (18.03.21), ‘Postgrad needs to be more than a well-mad object’ (Geoffrey Mann, 01.07.21), ‘Community Value’ (Dr. Jea Na, 06.07.21), ‘Run a workshop with the lamp as the identity’ (Helen Darnell, 08.07.21) and ‘The lamps are the product, not the value’ (David Grimshaw, 15.07.21) are all key phrases evidenced in the Practice 2 blog (appendix 1a), and these are all points at which reflection and change occurred. The Machinist Lamp is a well produced and pleasing object in it’s own right, and the creation of this was a pleasurable and interesting challenge, which should be valued for it’s own merits. The Workshop event could have been given more time, attention or focus, but this is an issue which cannot be resolved retrospectively.The final outcome for this Practice 2 unit is that I have used my skills as a designer, maker and educator to facilitate an experience for two people in which they took a waste item, used some equipment they had never used before and created a product which was useful. This is a very small achievement – people do this every day. The positive aspect is that this has been done to test a theory that this could become a much bigger outcome. The dissemination of knowledge and skills is something I do on a daily basis in my work but applying this to an entirely new (to me) area is a real achievement, but the biggest achievement is that there are two more HP13 burners in existence that were created by other people
Marronmade 