Creative Re-use at the Tramway

Creative Reuse with the TOPS Parents Programme.

Claire Barclay with the TOPS Programme @Tramway, Glasgow April 2017

It's not everyday you get to rummage around in Contemporary Art recycling bins. However, courtesy of the Tramway, Glasgow - that's exactly what we did !

Several months ago contemporary artist Claire Barclay approached me with the idea of combining forces on a community reuse project. The idea was simple, create an installation using the excess and offcuts from her exhibition. This ended up being a tough gig as Claire is actually very frugal with her materials - Nothing goes to waste !

The second challenge was to engage a group of Mums from the TOPS Young Parents Programme. Our ambition was to challenge 'shop bought' play items and question whether they stifle or encourage imaginative play.

Collectively we created "A Place to Play" ! which was on display in conjunction with Claire's show "Yield Point".

It was a joy to see Claire explain the motivations behind her installation, and to hear the insightful questions from the group - it was their first brush with Contemporary Art ! When it came to making and play, the group came into their own. There was no stopping them. Their energy & enthusiasm is apparent in the final work which beckons you to come and play !

A joyful project and final interactive installation. The gallery staff reported children whooping with delight all day long. Kids dive bombing and fiddle with an exhibition is a rare treat indeed !

Sustainability and what it means to be human

On Friday I was fortunate to attend a talk by Stuart Walker who is professor at Lancashire University exploring the theme of sustainable materiality.

I was reminded of John Gray's Silence of Animals in which he presents the idea of progress at any cost. Progress in of itself as man's desire to get to the pure land where there is no suffering, sickness or death. He lays the origins of our desires at the feet of Christianity in particular, the promise of salvation.

Stuart Walker also explores religious themes, I was reminded of Cave dwelling monks of meditate and reflect on a theme then bring back their teachings for the villagers below. He mediates on what is sustainability, what is means to be human and our inherent need to create or redesign our material world. 

In his talk he spoke of digital waste, how the cloud is not indeed anything so ephemeral but a tower block that requires refrigeration, the net is a network of cables underneath the Atlantic, servers of cat videos and ebooks which are back-up on multi servers ... he spoke of workers throwing themselves from the Fox Con (Apple factories) ... industry being at the mercy of it's shareholders ... redesigning products consisting of constantly redesign the exterior, components can be reused infinitely ... materials that can be returned to the earth having had little manufacturing or processing acted upon them.

I see Stuart Walker's explorations as an antidote to Evgeny Morozon's solutionism which he demonises in "To Save Everything Click Here". From Stuart there is call back to crafts, raw materials and reusing what we have in a local rather global way. He brings us back to the human in the industrialised process.

Draft post from August 30th 2015

SUN Development

I was very happy to be asked to develop a design scheme for the newly formed Scottish Upcycling Network aka SUN. I was given a blank slate, go and create ! So had to create my own brief.

I started with attempting to delineate what an upcycling network should and shouldn't be. The "shabby chic" associations, DIYness and twee "makeovers" be gone, no hand drawn elements or frouf ! As a network they would have to face these negative preconceptions time and time again. 

Positively, the network has to be about business, remaking, remodelling and creating real change in perceptions. As Ikea publicly declared, (we have hit peak production) we need set these as priorities as the planet's resources are rapidly depleting.

So, bold, positive and bright highlighting reconstruction and remaking ! I love it !

Resourceful Mum

The Daily Record (Scotland) featured an article with me and the kids ! All about making do and mending. Who would've thought that putting a hem on your kids trousers could be headline news, but apparently that's how de-skilled we've become. We have to "turn people on" to the idea of consuming less ! Here's hoping it reaches those it needs to !

Annie Leonard new Director of Greenpeace

Annie Leonard Annie Leonard new Director of Greenpeace

Greenpeace USA announces Annie Leonard (Story of Stuff ) as their new Director ... exciting times ahead ... a skilled communicator and strong female voice !

View The Story of Stuff website. 

Civilization and its Discontents

Elana Herzog

Supposed to have my Mind on the Money and Money on my Mind at the moment. So why is it that I can't stop thinking about art ? Nature of Mind, wandering off into beautiful distractions on the pretext of something more substantial than job applications ! My wanderings have taken me to the wonderful insubstantiality of Elana Herzog. This piece says it all Civilization and it's Discontents.  It's all connected, it will inform my Upcyling research and exhibition somehow.

It's been a while

Ok so I've been busy. Here's the latest update. Rags to Riches are going from strength to strength. Product development, Public Artworks and now a Fashion Show. Here's the artwork for the poster >>

It's Officially Christmas now

We are  now officially in the run up to christmas. I've just completed my first christmas e-card of the year ! I do love a lens flare, counters SAD effect of the dark nights ! I challenge anyone not to smile when they receive this via email.

Lovely Loop ! Bringing christmas cheer !

for more on Loop Recycling >

Rag Tag

I am excited about this project as it is close to my heart, and to my house.

Rags to Riches will focus on the upcyling of materials handed in to the Govanhill Baths Trust Charity shop. The shop's aim was initially to reduce their amount of donations that go straight to recycling.  Instead of shredding "rags" and they aim to create new garments or household objects from the reclaimed materials. They have  now opened a separate workshop with a dedicated space for training up project participants in basic sewing skills & pattern cutting.

Walking through the door sends me all aflutter, vintage sewing patterns; shelves with fabric sorted into colours; jars of cotton thread, again colour coded;  bins of  "treasure" aka scraps! My kinda place!

Creating the "Tag"

The design solution took the Govanhill Baths Trust logo as a starting point. It was important  for them that it looked like a sister project !

To make the circle look like a button, I added a double edge. I took the R's and mirrored them to look like a bow at the centre of the button. I love that it challenges the way you view things. Two R's , a bow or a butterfly ? When looked at creatively, a rag becomes a useful resource and through a process of change the caterpillar becomes the beautiful butterfly. The post of the R is a roman numeral 2, a pun on the "to" at the centre, or can be seen as a stitch holding the button on.

The bow/ butterfly on it's own will be used as a fabric stamp. Watch this space for shop signage, fabric stamps & general brand development. I hope that this is a stamp that locals will proudly wear, marking them out as individuals who care about waste, craftsmanship & have an eye for something uniquely beautiful !

Anatomy of a Bodhi

Bodhi Eco Project is a charity with a range of activities that aim to empower us to live sustainably and harmoniously with each other and with this precious, living planet. One of their main projects is the design and build of an Eco Village.

The group's ethics & name are rooted in Buddhism. The Bodhi tree being the tree under which the historical Buddha gained enlightenment. The leaf of the Bodhi tree resembles a heart which is the key to living mindfully - it could even be said that you live heartfully. The spirals in the tree depict the "spiral path" of the Buddhist journey, but also reference celtic imagery and the fact that Bodhi are a scottish charity which was also important to the group.

The artwork was used on letterheads, business cards, reusable envelope labels, t-shirts & canvas tote bags and printed up as large banners for events. All printwork used 100% recycled paper.

StitchUP love in

Next week - Thurs 9th - is our 7th stitchUP session ! I plan to continue with my no sew rag rug, but I'm also looking for ideas for the kids to do. With it being feb I'd thought I'd look at some simple valentines crafts for kids. I will adapt so that the materials used are recycled. Here's a great idea for kids to learn some simple crochet technique >

Here's the tutorial for loveheart bookmarks >>

There are several variations on a theme for the woven loveheart basket. They can be made with thin card or stiff fabric. I like the tutorial for this one, it's thorough and simple to do >>

Follow the step by step instructions >>

I thought this project might be good for some of the older kids who have grasped the crochet basics and want to learn the double and treble stitches >>

Here's the "how to" from One Sheepish Girl >>

Eco Egg

 

This month my bid to make small lifestyle changes for "the greater good" has seen the purchase of Jason everyday shampoo and an Eco Egg for the laundry.

To be fair the purchase of a daily shampoo possibly wasn't the best idea. The rational behind it was that it would be mild enough to use with the children, so I wouldn't have to buy a second shampoo for them. The kids are fine, but unfortunately after two days I look like I've been dipped in a chip pan ! Not a good look ! I now remember why I stopped using Jason before, will have to do a bit of research on the topic. It's expensive doing the trial and error method!

The Eco Egg on the other hand seems to be a winner ! The initial challenge was Kim from "the telly" endorsement and then my own skepticism. How could this possibly work?!

It's now week 2, unbelievably it seems to work ! The kids have actually commented that they like the smell of their clothes. This *really* is a triumph - we have been using Ecover for years - as the sight of my daughter nuzzling her face into the clothes rail at charity shops, asking why our clothes don't smell this nice has always made me feel uncomfortable! Strange that ! As yet I haven't road tested it with my 2 year old's food stained clothing. It does recommend using a stain remover on tough stains so will invest in Ecover stain remover which I've used in the past and has work a treat not only on clothes but also on carpets.

Next challenge, to find an effect natural clothes dye ... perhaps a job for some left over beetroot soup ? heh heh

Loop latest

Loop Recycling

I have been working on and off with Loop for the best part of 15 years. Together we have created everything from websites, van signage, stationery, posters, a photo journal concept, to christmas cards. Loop are great to work with, they "get design"  and understand the important role it plays in communicating their company values.

New Year, nothing new !

Usually with hindsight you can begin to see the threads of your life come together , a story starts to emerge. 2011 seemed a bit of a blur. I had a baby that didn't sleep through,I was doing the "forty something" reflection on life and I then started up a sewing "Upcyling" group.

When I started hosting stitchUP , it was to rekindle my love of the handmade, get out of the house and meet people but also to take a look at fashion - namely "What am I wearing?". Years of motherhood had taken it's toll Cacharel had been usurped by catch-a-snot.  Jeans and perma- cardi covered in various baby goo was now my uniform ! I had a wardrobe of clothes that I eventually had to accept would never fit me again.

When I began to think about fashion my initial response was panic. I didn't have time to put in the hours pouring over fashion mags & certainly didn't have the money to keep up. Last week's top trend was this week's fashion no no.  Surely this couldn't be ?!... I experienced the "solyent green" horror moment ... fashion was eating itself !!! Consumption at it's most ridiculous!

According to DEFRA (click here to link to sustainable clothing report) two million tonnes of clothing are bought in the Uk per yer, with the discount clothing (low cost, short life-span) making up 20% of the market. They also state 50% of all clothing ends up in landfill.

The life span of a garment from creating the resources;  farming cotton; dyeing fabrics; manufacturing materials wastage; distribution; product life-span, laundering and inevitable disposal there are very few areas where there are no adverse effects on the environment.

With this in mind, I aim to explore over the next year ways in which I can rethink my relationship to the clothes that I wear and their environmental impact.

The 4R's REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE

REFUSE

I can refuse to buy new clothes.

I can buy secondhand from websites, vintage boutiques, clothes swaps & charity shops.

I can refuse to buy clothes that have a high impact on the environment.

I can refuse to buy clothes that can't be recycled.

REDUCE

I can reduce the amount of clothing I buy

I can reduce the energy I use in laundering

I can reduce the amount of detergents I use

I can reduce the amount of clothing I need by repairing worn & damaged items

REUSE

I can grow my  reuse skills through practice & research

I can refashion garments that I no longer wear

I can give away garments to be reused by others

RECYCLE

I can recycle all materials where possible

I can choose materials that are easily recycled

I can choose where & how & by whom they are recycled - a choice which benefits both the environment & charity & not big business.

This is the beginning of my story for 2012 !