Description
An experiment in facilitating new collaborations between local industry, local craft practitioners and organisations focused on social inclusion. Achieved by through a residency on ‘Eco-sustainability between traditional craft practices and contemporary industrial production’ where practitioners explored different uses and process in transforming this type of industrial waste, to create new craft opportunities and respond to the ever pressing need for responsable waste management for industry. Local craft practitioner, having access to industrial sewing machines, re-created an icon object at the heart of the local heritage which was subsequently adopted by the sofa manufacturing company that provided the textile waste. A local non profit organisation that creates job opportunities for prisoners through creative sewing was also invited to participate. Subsequently, the practitioner and non profit organisation were then guided to identify a final prototype, in line with semi industrial processes, to facilitate high volume production in the local prison, providing the local manufacturing company a commercial gadget that reflects local heritage, sustainability of their waste management and the value of social inclusion.
Challenge they identifed
Promoting cross sector collaboration, sustainability, social inclusion, practitioner empowerment and local heritage.
How they assess the results?
- The number of prototypes created with the industrial waste
- The level of interest expressed by the industry partner in further development of the prototypes
- Professional opportunities created for the practitioner (commercial agreement with industry partner)
- Capacity building opportunities for the practitioner (e.g. learning how to upscale production)
- Professional opportunities created for local prisoners through the non profit organisation (1050 peices produced to date)
- Quality of the narration of the object created (sustainable/heritage/empowerment/inclusion)
