The NYT reports:
Primitive staples-and-glue residue will be the subject of a lecture on Wednesday at the New York Ceramics Fair, “Simply Riveting: A Look at Broken and Mended Ceramics,” by Angelika Kuettner, a curator at Colonial Williamsburg.
The brief article — here: Repaired China, the Potter John Bennett, Schoolgirl Rugs - NYTimes.com — brings up some interesting thoughts around mended goods and value. It also mentions:
Since the 1980s the Ames Gallery in Berkeley, Calif., has offered a category of objects called “mends and make-dos.” The owner, Bonnie Grossman, is writing a book about them.
We’ll keep an eye out for that — great subject!
Love mending and broken things…
BizCampNI
Putting together @BizCampNI presentation on how @uniform_recycle has grown from an idea. (at University of Ulster)
Creating Work - ReMade in Bangor
The Remade in Bangor project began as a conversation. That was it!
An idea between Jill ( the ReFound owner) and myself that came out of a brief encounter as I was picking the Harland and Wolf stools to up-cycle for the ReFound shop.
Jill had wanted Firsty Creative take over Refound in an event. As the conversation continued,I found myself in the position to connect different organisations together, each bringing their own element to strengthen the project.
I discovered the importance of good connections and the value of nurturing these into relationships. I had the right connections at the right time and found myself able to facilitate and influence the shape of project.
Using the ReFound ethos of creating “works of furniture”, we wanted to have a pop-up shop to sell up-cycled pieces created by local artists. Using discarded furniture, each artist would give their piece a distinctive appearance.
The final product was a pop-up shop that took place during European Week for Waste Reduction in November. It was a short leadtime to work in, but it created an opportunity to approach the local Recycling Awareness Officers for their support.
The team from North Down Council where able to supply the redundant pieces of furniture at no cost and provide us with a free space to hold a pop-up shop. They also supplied us with promotional opportunities and a small budget to cover the costs.
The pop-up shop was placed in a shopping centre in Bangor town centre. It was a risk placing it here as this location has a number of challenges. We hoped that the project would have a positive influence on the area and help to create interest to the centre and therefore effect the footfall.
I felt, my role was to create a project that the artists would want to become involved in. There was no immediate reward, they had to be prepared to give their time, their skills and expertise up front. We offered the pop-up shop as a platform for any activities that the artists wanted to provide. The walls were used to exhibit work, we held artist talks and offered an opening night to coincide with another popular event in the town centre.
There were a number of positive outcomes from the project, some of the artist have continued the connection with Refound, using the ReFound buildings in Belfast to hold exhibitions. The pieces have also moved up to the building for future events. The waste awareness officers have used the project and entered it into the awards section of Waste Reduction Week.
This also provided me with experience to learn from. The importance of place and the effect that it has on retailing. The impact that group use of social media can have. Retail businesses need to offer more than a product, the story, the experience and the added value that the customers will take away with them will encourage not only purchasing but word of mouth marketing that it so valuable at the moment.
I love making things and I love coming up with ideas even more, pulling things through and shaping ideas into something substantial. ReMade in Bangor proved to me that creating good work can happen!
ReMade in Bangor.
ReMade in Bangor
Recycle.
This is plastic bag fusing. Layers of the plastic are trapped between paper and pressed. The result has a paper quality that could be stitched,printed, painted. You also get a transfer from the image on the bag onto the paper.
WRAP NI conference 6 December | WRAP Northern Ireland
This conference covers all things environmental with speakers for different types of organisations.
The most relevant to UniCycle is the discussion of the circular economy - recovering materials and reprocessing. The extension of the product life is becoming economically viable and waste is slowly being designed out. There is revenue in these recovered materials.
Attention was paid to Northern Ireland and how we should be following Scottish Activities. The question for Northern Ireland is “How local is local?” Alex Atwood stated that “ Cold calling does not work in Northern Ireland, but good relationships do”
Habitat a for Humanity talked about their schools and youth programmes that promote active citizenship.
The “story of a door” shows impact through a story, illustraing it in an understandable way for kids. The also discuss the idea of a “hand-up, not a handout” … very relevant to UniCycle!
My lack of sucess marketing UniCycle to schools using Cold Calling, made more sense following the interpretation of Northern Ireland relationships. My focus could be on developing good relationships rather that the volume of schools using the project.
Elvis and Kresse
If you can upcycle fire hoses into luxury items, you can upcycle anything!!
Bauhaus Curriculum
Bauhaus Curriculum
This imagery, first in German, then in English conveys the curriculm of study. This has helped me to think about the structure of UniCycle and how the different activities site together as a business model.
ReFound.
ReFinding Confidence…
Connecting with ReFound (www.refoundonline.com) was something that was on the “to-do” for a while, but lack of confidence,motivation and my anti-JFDI had stopped it happening.
I heard Jill, the founder, talk in Belfast at the Culture Showcase and liked the idea, the creation of a network to recycle and it has definitely influenced UniCycle.
I up-cycled this piece in the autumn for, trying to keep as closed to UniCycle as possible, I used school greys that were not good enough quality to sell.
The Harland & Wolf Stool given a blast of colour with pinks and purples, and the school greys embellished with an oversized zigzag stitch.
Recycling is not dull!
Art as Life - Barbican
UnBlocking Creativity
After Christmas, I became stuck.
The research into Factory Records, Repairing Garments wasn’t connecting with the output of garment ideas.
I enrolled at Seacourt Print Workshop to take a screen print course. These skills can be applied to textile print.I hoped that the process of working with colour and producing prints wouldrelease this block
The 10week course was successful, the process has helped me to develop a handwriting
and aconsideration of colour.
Atlanta Airport Runway
An thought provoking collection and an example that “not all art needs to be in a gallery”.
Cull or be Culled.
I am good at creating ideas, problem solving and starting things. My mum’s philosophy is you need at least 12 different knitting projects on the go.
With so many different strands of work and research going on It became that something had to be Culled.
When I began the Masters, I had an image the stereotypical “Mumpreneur”….simply making things and selling them. Enjoying time with my family, helping them grow and becoming financially independent again.
The ideal of local craft fairs, souks and local outlets providing me with a social network, an income and a purpose.
My attempts at this were fails, but gave me the experience and the knowledge to know that this is not the road for me.
The time commitment to make interesting and ethical garments to a good standard, market them, sell them was too great and the return too low.
The clothing industry is hard at the best of times: finding inspiration, designing, sourcing, manufacturing, marketing and selling is too big an undertaking.
Exploring what UniCycle could become has been a challenge, because it could become many things. But it is all mine. and I can develop it to satisfy the needs of it’s consumers and my creative outlets.
It can have an “aspirational side” to it which can fulfill my need to make things and promote UniCycle’s core message.
Being able to reconcile the the decision to let the nurturing of SecondLife has freed my time, my head space and will allow UniCycle to become stronger and survive.
Introduction.
This is a record of information accessed and comments on my research into the CIE Viva.
Clutter.
When people discover that I sew, knit, upholster and generally make things, they are very quick to offer their crafty stashes.
The “One Day, SomeDay ” boxes that have never been touched.
As a result my stash of fabrics, trims and interesting garments has grown.
In deciding to drop one strand of my work, I can have the excuse to remove this from my working space.
An uncluttered workspace and an uncluttered mind!
The CV is dead! The Living Landscape.
The CV is dead. Brilliant. Wading through my life experience and refining it to fit a particular job description is time that I will never get back.
The Living Landscape - Ulster Festival
Alastair Creamer’s workshop asked more than any other Curriculem Vitae training ever did. Introducing the workshop with “I love to leave people and places in a better shape than I found it”.
Guiding us back through time to our childhood, through school, extra curriculae activities, competitions to first jobs, university and now. He asked us simple questions: What am I good at? What skills do I have? What do other people say I am good at? What gives you energy?
By poising these questions at different times in our life the answers raised forgotten skills and qualities.
This gave me a problem…..there was too much. But I could see connections between the different elements.
I organise others..alot, therefore I manage,I multi-task, I encourage.
I make things, so I am logical, patient and motivated.
These "quiet drivers" could now be mapped onto a visual landscape.
This process was difficult for me as I felt that my skills needed to be fluid. I used an analogy of jigsaw, placing skills and qualities that where connected and that could also move about.
It was Alastair’s analysis of these maps that has provided me with a better focus to my creativity.
He recognised my need to make things and identified a sense of belonging to something that is bigger than me.
Making Things.Better
These three words and a relevant full stop have helped me to re-focus my projects to bring them to a higher level.
Heirloom Clothing.
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Would you, could you share—or pass down—any clothing (or jewelry, handbags, etc.) to your children? Or, your parents? Is it even okay? Or, is it a total fashion faux pas? Tell me your story.
Northern Ireland film boom fuelled by Game of Thrones and Belfast punk film
1970’s film about punk Terri Hooley based in Northern Ireland.
Linder.
I have been researching broken and repaired things, which has taken me back to music in Manchester.
I lived there with the Hacienda and Factory Records hangover. 808 state were wheeled out for New Years Eve and Sankeys was ace! ( Nostalgia on the Periphery)
Linder (think Sex Pistols album sleeves) uses collage.
Her work from the late 70’s and early 80’s brought her into music. Taking apart the images, defining men and at women at that time, they were collaged back together. The results are interesting. What has caught my attention is the reviews of the work.
“ …it was a way of showing counterfeit quality and construction…” The splicing apart of images and presenting them in a new context provokes the viewer to reassess the image and make new decisions.
By taking a garment apart, and altering the context that it is presented in can you provoke the wearer to access their clothing habits. To question how the garment has reached their hands…..