Reminiscing about Copenhagen...

It's been so warm here in Bristol, I don't feel even slightly wintery.  I was thinking back to November last year when I visited Denmark for an enamelling workshop and had time to explore a cold, rainy but beautiful Copenhagen...

Place Making

PLACEMAKING

"As both an overarching idea and a hands-on approach for improving a neighborhood, city, or region, Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community."  by Project for Public Spaces:

Back in 2012, I was given the opportunity to explore what placemaking means to me, and to test the potential benefit that a Maker can bring to the process.  We spent two days at the fascinating Chatham Dockyard working with other makers, architects and students on a capsule project initiated by the Crafts Council.  Our brief was very open, and working in teams of three; one maker, one architect and one student, we explored;

• How can the specialist understanding of materials and skills influence the built environment?
• What does the meaning of preciousness or consideration of scale have on making a place special?
• What impact can creative input have on local distinctiveness within place?
• What kinds of places and communities can emerge from these collaborations?

  

We found ourselves looking for and identifying things that made Chatham 'distinctive', which wasn't hard in such a rich historical industrial site. The plethera of industrial relics appealed to my inner gadget- making child and I had to supress urges to start making some sort of motorised floating den... 

 

What also fascinates me about industrial architecture is the relationship between the building's form and its function; each window and roof facet fulfiling a specific role for the activity happening in and around it. The incidental beauty of the building's form and facade is meaninfully purposeful. 

 

To read more about the project and to watch a short film of the two days, you can visit:

http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/articles/place-making/

A walk through Industrial Bristol

Last weekend, I took a sunny walk along the harbourside in Bristol with enamel jeweller Jessica Turrell.  The journey took us from Cumberland basin to Centrespace studios, where we both work.  We're working on concurrent projects for a 'Make & Think' research group project with the Univeristy of the West of England.

The highlight for me was exploring the working boat yard; Underfall Yard.  I was in industrial heaven.  Functional details often have a life, or character to them, which, for me, stems from their imagined use. 

 

 

And of course I found plenty of rusty metal joy at the dockyard.

Industry often works its way in to my own metalwork:

Leith Docks 2014 made for INDUSTRIAL SHIFT solo exhibition at Edinburgh Printmakers

Tinsmith Template Series 2012

Find more industrial work here.

You can see Jessica's photos of our walk on her facebook page.