British council’s ADF department and Ellen MacArthur Foundation developed a new programme in 2018 focusing on the future of design and making.

The programme aims to nurture cross-cultural collaboration and mutual exchange around the topic of circularity, on a global level.

The 2018 pilot took place with leaders from design communities in Southeast Asia and the UK. The next chapter of the Lab will see leaders in the field of circular design from Sub Saharan Africa take part in a series of design workshops in London this November.

10 designers with backgrounds in circular fashion, making, design, built environment and product, this years cohort of designers are from 10 different countries in Sub Saharan Africa: Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Mozambique.

'Spin-out' Values mapping (Nick Gant)

This involves a bit of reflective time (something we often lack the luxury of having in practice) and thinking about the many 'spin-out' values that fly out of our circular systems and products. Some are explicit and planned and some are emergent and present themselves along the way.

Whether it be unexpected engagements with new parts of the community, opportunities for individuals such as creative education or the social cohesion that comes from working together - these all provide great social benefits resulting from circularity.

Material and community resources:

We discussed a new focus on the possible abundance of different types of wood locally (some shavings, some actual pieces of wood). The wood could be a good way to connect together the 'community of makers' and those that perhaps create the waste and make use of the opportunity for using your circular thinking. Maybe ultimately to make a 're-maker-space' from waste (that would be amazing!)

The idea of working with the local carpentry training college seems rich, as they could help co-design and co-produce products from waste wood that would then allow you to get them thinking about circular-methods. Brilliant.

Also we discussed maybe then creating a value chain through lending or renting out objects to local businesses (made from the wood) and this becomes a network and valued 'brand' locally - really interesting!

It would be great to have a bit of a analysis on this - some pictures and a sense of the types that might be available regularly? If i create a box on this page you could post some pictures for us Vanessa? The we could all have a think about some possibilities - i can share with colleagues here too.

I will post some pictures of our wood work in South Africa which has been selling well. We will also think about some useful binding glues if i can. And some about spaces we have made from waste also...

I have attached pictures of two spaces The Brighton WasteHouse and our 'Place-Maker-Space' both of which were made entirely from waste (a lot of wood actually!)

If you could (edit the block and add some pictures of the waste wood you might be able access?)

Participation and emergence:

The complexity and risk but reward of participatory action research and engagement – the time, space, confidence, patience, skill and respect required to undertake proper participation and engagement. But the value and authenticity that can come as a result repays – moreover Max and I discussed the relationship between this type of approach and how it enables ‘emergence’, which I think we agreed could be seen as a kind of ‘innovation’ (as an overused but not clearly defined word or phenomena). Max mentioned Adrienne Maree Brown ‘Emergent Strategy’ as something I think we might all see sympathies with and just working at the right pace and with respect when seeking to gain better insights or enact more inclusive objectives with our communities.

Visual / material language:

I also welcomed Max’s approach to the ‘public works’ that he identified as these at the London workshop and observations of local people’s creations and ‘stuff’ that were neither definable as architecture or design but fascinating assemblages that were very much vernacular / of their place. Max’s ability to almost re-curate these as ‘community re-development’ was and is for me one of the exciting potentials. I am intrigued to see how this might evolve as a locally authenticated set of visual / material languages or codes – not in the notion of being undemocratic and enforcing a set of designed-determinates but as a means to recognise and value locally ‘meaningful stuff!’ Seetal and I were discussing diversification (which I understand to also be a challenged or challenging word) as part of a decolonisation of ideas such as circularity as being an important outcome from the CDL group.

Connective-ness:

I really valued discussing the ‘emergence’ and maintenance of the group as an active network that are communicating and collaborating within and around and through the CDL with new opportunities for knowledge exchange via Naa’s excellent symposia / conference (?) with Yegwa and Kishan too – but also through various other social networking means. I feel that this is not only interesting, in terms of what works and what doesn’t practically, but furthermore it demonstrates the potential sustainability and agency of the group. I share some feedback with the BC team and I maintain this is great group of inspiring people and to be treasured and I hope I can in some way help support it flourishing aside from or beyond our grant commitments.

We did touch my not having actually been to South Africa despite our continued work there – but some of my team have – but in my interest in how we maintain, productive and co-learning relationships whilst being remote. And I think another aspect of this group that I hope we can reflect on is how, if successful as an entity, the group might help us understand more about successful collaboration as this can feed into some of the interests (academically and in practice) of things like what Manzini and other refer to as ‘cosmopolitan localism’ or ‘multi-local communities’ –where we create meaning and value locally but knowledge and relationships can travel (he badly) and even to the notions of what might be Distributed Manufacture, or the interests of practices such as Waste for Life (Baillie et al) and Precious Plastics (Hakkens et al) and the Fab cities etc that seek to support global knowledge share whilst stuff stays where it is.

Emotional responses:

I am also intrigued to here that in our workshops in London and subsequently members have been considering what their emotional response to the work is (I hope I have got that right!??? – do let me / us know if not!!??) – which too strikes me as a confident acceptance that there is more to this than the business of this! That we are seeing forms of investment that connect to us in complex and meaningful ways – perhaps this is about ‘meaning-making’ too?

Max maybe you could add some pictures?

Our:

It is great to hear the emphasis of the word OUR in the representation of Wacy’s strategic thinking around new ideas for develop material languages for and out of the locality. In this situation ‘our’ seems at one level both ‘shared’ and yet ‘owned’. There is an obvious and systematic sense of gaining insights that are authentically place based and situated around a set of collectively defined ‘needs’ and ‘perspectives’ that is open, receptive and respectful in its collaborative intent whilst at the same time recognising that this is therefore definitively then ‘ours’ and not theirs – not imported or defined elsewhere. This is resolute and clear and Macy’s collectives are not ‘waiting for The West’ to define and decide what the African continents new material futures are.

Bio-mimicry:

Wacy was inspiring me with her recognition of the potential or understood medicinal plant-based properties that could be exploited and integrated into her textile programmes. The concern that local, natural and traditional methods for addressing local needs through the materiality of stuff seems a very natural way to be both practical and dare I say political – no foreign pharmaceuticals here – but moreover materials that provide new means to engage with, and benefit from, what might have been historically considered ‘primitive’ medicines.

Emotional relationships:

When thinking through waste – it occurs to me that these proposed materials created with well-being and health properties imbued within them may provide the basis for a strong material experience and connection to us as users. The idea of a material ‘caring for us’ I think is likely to lead to a deeper interaction and association which may lead to some prolonged material experience and lifespan. Why would we throw something away if it cares for us right!?

Power of making:

In my experience once made, objects and material things provide a more tangible way to provoke and promote interactions and collaboration – I am sure the scientific community are likely to interest hen they experience the complex maker’s investment and the idea manifest within the material.

Green is the New Black:

I really look forward to hosting The Green is The New Black team at our Waste House when they visit the UK – it will be great to do some knowledge exchange with some of our students too - i will post some pictures.

Asking the (right) question?

Every project so far has an element of participation built into it – which for me having worked around participation in different forms for some years is really exciting. It helps give credence to the idea that design really has changed – gone is the single voice ‘genius’ and collaboration is king. Matthew’s notion of a place-based materials library I think is so valuable in helping break down notions of material knowledge and access when we think in terms of circularity – who owns all the stuff?? Will it be the big companies or the collaborative communities? Moreover – asking the question ‘what are our (circular) materials here (?)’ is such a great way to engage stakeholders, champion knowledge co-production and facilitate change. I love the idea of an ‘open-materials-archive’ as a means to catalyse a community and generate debate about ‘our’ needs, values etc (like Wacy says).

Re-IY:

The investment in learning how to do the technical fabrication of new, alternative or recycled materials come into being buys a ticket into the community but is also helping understand the DNA of these materials and how that changes according to their provenance – something that would underscore our notion of ‘diversity’ and distinctiveness in the material ecosystem.

Making matters:

We explored the idea of ‘rolling out’ what has become a tested technique of establishing a materials collection or library and a space in which to make connections. Material props are a fantastic way to help with knowledge exchange and explain the different ways in which we can interact with notions of circularity, spot the ‘spin-out’ potentials and values and encourage inter-connection. As David Gaunlett (2015) suggests making-is-connecting and if a space can be found (physically and in people’s busy schedules) then there is much that can be achieved by coming together to consider our material futures. The role of making together is well documented and aside from the social networking it provides a space for discussion which can be elevated in terms of the depth and intimacy that the making can unlock.

Multi-local vernacular:

The material language of place is so important in identifying and it is a great invitation to ask for contributions (like Matthew is proposing) - but as Seetal and I were discussing in Greece she is concerned about the variety of ways of perceiving and conversing around materials in the different contexts - I have invited her to the page to perhaps add some comments about this.

I will provide some slides and examples of relevant material provocations and I really welcome the opportunity to collaborate on the development of a materials network. Perhaps we can develop a remote maker-space ( a wiki-waste-workshop) where we do some remote co-learning lab between our communities. I would like to explore this idea for all of us – maybe at London Design Festival – the virtual Circular Design Lab! (what do we think Hannah and team!?). Or collective, travelling archive?

It would be great to see photos as they emerge!

Valorisation / Re-Making Meaning (Nick Gant) This involved the presentation of (waste) materials through a set of objects (shoes). The material's embodied social and cultural meanings and potential values being identified and then summarised as a set of 'valorisation strategies'.

By reflecting on our materials and projects we were able to identify the meanings that we (re)make through our processes and how we can re-generate new material narratives through our products.

It is critical that we explore the critical relationship between the scientific, engineered, objective, dispassionate and quantitative re-processeing of our materials and the more subjective, cultural and qualitative space that circulates around our projects.

Shoes created by Nick Gant and Tanya Dean

How do we promote remote interactions? (Nick Gant)

If we are to see the notion of 'distributed manufacture' on a more diverse, cultural and community level and promote notions of the multi-local society (Manzini, 2007) then communication is key right?

The digital sphere suggests many ways in which we can keep in touch and share ideas, ideals and ideologies no? Take this page for example!

This activity mapped people and their places, their tools and digital comms traces.

Education:

Betty Is leading the way with a very ambitious engagement with 50 schools in Mozambique and setting up Circular Design Clubs. Schools are obviously an amazing way to seed ideas and behaviours. With Community21 we have often had to consider the protocols and ethics of engaging young people in some of these topics as we cannot always know the predicament or circumstances that children are in in terms of their home lives. We often have to check what we are setting up as expectations and avoid generating and any moral hierarchy in case children are unable to embrace these ideas if their circumstances do not allow – perhaps finances do not allow for choice in a household or there may not be sufficient opportunity to prioritise certain things over more pressing issues.

Remote festival / learning community:

As with many of the CDL team we discussed the potential of REMOTE ENGAGEMENTS – yes despite the recent mass move to such processes we have been discussing feeding into each others workshops and studio gatherings through online means.

The dreaded Corona has both accentuated these issues and the need for more interactions (remotely) but we were discussing my (and perhaps others) feeding into Betty's events which i am happy to do.

Access to resources:

Similarly we discussed the value of the material library as a means of interacting and bringing people together for workshops, discussions and knowledge exchange. However by this time dreaded COVID-19 had began to bite and it seems getting samples of materials may become a problem.

Multi-local:

It is clear that this awful situation has amplified some of the concerns we have already been engaging with such as access and flows of resources and the need to communicate as communities across broader geographies – back to our ‘Multi-local societies’ (Manzini, 2007 in eds Chapman and Gant; Designers and Visionaries and other Stories)! I think our collaborations as disparate but connected community and sharing principles but having distinctive approaches can definitely be seen (form my perspective at least) as a brief and a piece of work relative to our times.

Again Isatu and Naa we discussed the benefits of our different / remote communities interacting and perhaps seeking co-learning opportunities through remote means. With Naa, our line through Zoom did not allow for an in-depth discussion and it does present questions about the formats connected communities and an intranet-of-knowledge-exchange might take. Is this a set of traveling objects or interactions, an internet television show or live broadcast, a podcast or virtual studio and workshops spaces..? Who knows but it is a natural emergent aspect of the project and underscored in terms of its relevance with the obvious developments and critical questions being asked of us all.

Please keep well everyone!!