Research

At the beginning of the month I started my new position as a Research Fellow at MIRIAD, part of the School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University. It's a part-time position, which allows me the time to continue my personal practice, though the dividing line is somewhat blurred as the focus of the research is on Digital Forming. 

The project investigates Digital Forming, including 3D Printing.

There are 3 associated areas of investigation:

·      The relationship of traditional and digital craft skills.

o   How do the skills and tacit knowledge developed as a maker of ceramics transfer to new digital tools and technology?

·      The bringing together of actual and virtual experiences of an object.

o   An exploration of ways to ‘liberate’ the 3 dimensional object by enabling a simultaneous virtual experience.

·      The development and refinement of ceramic materials for use in 3D printing.

o   The successful outcome would enable pre-industrial knowledge and skills to be brought together with post-industrial manufacturing, creating a new object typology.

Through this project I aim to continue producing a body of work that uses the research to explore the cultural value of objects and how we engage with the physical in a world where experience is increasingly engaged with through digital media.

Here's a taste of a new piece that hopefully demonstrates some of the above.

Prtlnd Vase 2012 - Michael Eden.
Image Courtesy of Adrian Sassoon

Is Design just about rearranging the Cushions...?

Heading north in the Quiet Zone of the 18.30 out of London Euston is an ideal setting for reflecting on the days activities. I was on my way back to Kendal after attending the British Design Summer Reception at the House of Lords. 

Organised by the Associate Parliamentary Design and Innovation Group, it brought together many leading and influential designers, along with MPs, members of the Lords, journalists and representatives from the various organisations that sponsored the tables. Being on the Crafts Council table, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself seated between Tristram Hunt, MP for Stoke-on-Trent and Michelle Ogundehin, editor of Elle Decoration. 

Speeches by both Sir John Sorrell and Lord Bichard championed British design, and stressed the need for a strong united voice to convince Parliament that design is more than just making things look pretty, but something that should be at the core of business thinking. 

Apparently the Financial sector spent £92 million lobbying the government last year and that has appeared to have paid off. Design doesn’t have that sort of money, so we are going to have to use some of our creative thinking if we want to be heard. 

However, it seems to me that 'design' is one of those shape shifting words with a different definition according to the context in which it is used. 

My definition is something along the lines of 'the creative application of materials and/or processes.' That's probably over simplistic, but to make an impact surely that's the sort of definition required, as it not only covers making stuff, but can be applied to systems and services.     

And it's inclusive, so the Crafts Council shouldn't feel left out. 

OK, so we can dress that up with great examples, lots of lovely images, but what are we asking for? 

For me it would be some joined up thinking in government, where the Chancellor of the Exchequer doesn't stand at the dispatch box going on about how he “want(s) the words: Made in Britain, Created in Britain, Designed in Britain, Invented in Britain to drive our nation forward. A Britain carried aloft by the march of the makers" to be the battle cry that will save the economy, when down the road Education are undermining or should that be destroying Design and Technology in schools.  Where do they think the next generation of makers and creative thinkers are going to come from?

And I would also ask that there should be far more support for research that brings together art and science. There are so many great examples where collaboration has benefitted both camps.  

Vince Cable has been busy with his Made by Britain and Make it in Great Britain campaigns, with an exhibition starting in London’s Science Museum on the 24th of July. But as Michelle Ogundehin points out in her blog, why doesn’t the government recognize the central role that design plays in the success of companies like Apple, Dyson etc etc? And ‘why is it taking government so long to catch on when the UK’s design sector could be such a spur to economic growth?’

A poorly advertised exhibition in the Science Museum is not enough, what we need is a new Festival of Britain, an event that will clearly demonstrate the wealth of great design that we have in the UK, demonstrate how companies will benefit by embedding design thinking into their core activities, demonstrate to parents that Art and Design are relevant subjects for their children to choose at school and if the government would put some money into apprenticeships, give some disaffected young people a place in society. (That last bit might be going too far, but we can dream…)

Design Centrum Kielce - lecture notes

MAREK CECULA – artist, designer, educator and all-round dynamo has returned home to Kielce in Poland and created Design Centrum Kielce.
Marek invited me to speak at the opening of the centre, held in June. Rather than simply talking about my own work, I used the opportunity to discuss the impact of digital technology on craft and design and its place in Design education.

Synopsis:
Digital technology is having a profound effect on the way in which we engage with the world and with the objects that surround us. Many people think that there is a risk that these shiny new tools will lead to a loss of traditional skills. I would like to discuss the place of these new tools in relation to design education and use my practice as an example of one way to bring together the old and the new.

Lecture:
First of all I would like to thank you for inviting me today. It really looks like it’s full steam ahead for DCK and great for me to be here at the beginning of an exciting journey.
The creation of a new Design School at this particular point in time is very much to be welcomed as there needs to be a shift in thinking around the subject of design education.
I am not qualified to discuss the pedagogy of design education as I am a maker and that’s really why I’m here, but I do have some experience both as a student and a teacher. I’ll talk about being a student a bit later on; as a teacher my experience is mixed.

In the UK, many Design Schools are being seduced by the ‘Media of Attraction’ (Lunenfeld, 2001) where the novelty of digital technology leads to the abandonment of older technologies and the closure of traditional workshops. This inevitably leads to the creation of superficial objects, where there is little understanding of materials, processes or the 3 dimensional form. I have been lucky to teach in 2 establishments where the policy has been to keep the workshops open. It is where students can explore materials and learn through making. Though they are expensive to operate, workshops are recognised as having a value. However, this situation is rare, most universities are run by accountants who would rather fill their workshops full of computers; it's cheaper and you can pack more students in.
But don’t get me wrong; I love new technology and the creative opportunities it offers. Computers are miraculous and have reshaped the way we engage with the world. But they are an addition to the tools that makers can choose to use, not a replacement and that’s really what I would like to talk about today. Technology such as 3D printing is starting to fundamentally change our relationship to the things we choose to live with.
Here’s a great example. This chair, created by Dirk Vander Kooij is made by extruding plastic through the nozzle of a robotic arm.
The material comes from recycled white goods such as refrigerators and the use of this machine is an example of how the creative industries are appropriating technology and making it do exciting things it wasn’t intended for.

However, you don’t need one of these to access 3D printing. As I'm sure you know, these new tools are no longer confined to hi-tech industries. Already websites like Shapeways and Sculpteo are offering anyone who can afford it, the opportunity to customize a design or create their own and have them 3D printed and delivered to their door. As 3D printing becomes cheaper and more commonplace, are we going to see established companies allowing their customers to create personalized versions of their designs?
The technology to do this sort of thing is becoming increasingly accessible. I can use my phone to design a bespoke vase based on my profile, and have it printed and glazed. Would anyone like to place an order? I didn’t think so.

What effect is this going to have on design? Is this ability, available to large numbers of people going to produce better design? Are we going to see the mass democratization of design? Will it encourage more young people to study design or will they think they know it all just because they have some clever software? Or will it simply result in the world consuming more and more of its increasingly valuable resources to produce more stuff destined for landfill?

 It must be a good thing for more people to understand design and its creative potential. But access to this wonderful new toolbox is unlikely to produce better stuff. Working in the virtual world of the computer doesn't teach you about materials and processes. It should be underpinned by working with the hands, testing materials, exploring processes. In other words learning by doing. Getting involved in making things at an early age and staying involved must surely be the way forward and that is why I would like to congratulate Marek and his team for having the vision to create this ambitious new school.
As I said earlier, I am not rejecting technology, I am not saying that we need a new Arts and Crafts movement, well perhaps we do, but with a more inclusive philosophy to that of William Morris and one that embraces the new technology and recognises the craft of working with code.

I am not saying that I have the answers, but I would like to describe the journey that I have made as one possible way of creatively combining the old and the new...

(I then went on to talk about the relationship between hand and digital processes in the development of my work, but you've probably heard all about that before...)