Green Maker Initiative Exhibition
Image courtesy of Yan Feng
Elizabeth Crawford, Baskets | Jane Deane, Textiles | Jo Weadon, Furniture | Yan Feng, Textiles | Amy Whittingham, Glass | Jane Gray, Textiles | Bridget Macklin, Ceramics | Vicky Putler, Flax | Polly Macpherson, Ceramics | Jane Watts, Leather | RAMP, Ceramics | Yuli Somme, Felt | Jenny Southam, Ceramics | Christian Wilson, Wood | Gabrielle Tymków, Ceramics
+ over 60 additional contributors.
Curated by Polly Macpherson
20 Jul - 24 Aug 2024
The Levinsky Gallery, University of Plymouth
Events
Friday 19 July, 5.30 - 7.30pm: Private View at the University of Plymouth
Wednesday 24 July, 10.30am - 1.30pm: Flax corn dolly making with The Flax Project C.I.C at the University of Plymouth
Wednesday 31 July, 11am - 3pm: Weave Wednesday free drop-in session at the University of Plymouth
Wednesday 7 August, 10am - 1pm: Make a foraging or mudlarking hip bag from reclaimed materials with byAliceWood at the University of Plymouth
Wednesday 7 August, 2pm - 5pm: Make a foraging or mudlarking hip bag from reclaimed materials with byAliceWood at the University of Plymouth
Wednesday 14 August, 2pm - 3pm: Curator’s Talk with Polly Macpherson at the University of Plymouth
Wednesday 21 August, 10am - 4pm: Make a chopping board with Studio Arvor at MAKE Southwest
About the exhibition
This exhibition celebrates green making, materials, and objects by showcasing creators, owners and processes. It highlights the essential connections between eco-friendly practices, materials, and sustainability. It invites you to reflect on your personal relationships with objects, the environmental impact of artefacts, and the importance of adopting more responsible ownership and consumer habits.
Green MAKING is a practice which emphasises sustainability in the creation of objects. It involves using eco-friendly materials, methods, and resources to reduce environmental impact, fostering a deeper connection between creators and their work, and promoting responsible consumption and waste reduction. Green making aims to create a more environmentally conscious and sustainable future.
In addition to celebrating innovative creations and objects, the exhibition offers an opportunity to explore green MATERIALS. These materials are derived from renewable resources, are biodegradable, or are recyclable. From sustainably sourced wood used in beautifully crafted furniture to recycled clay transformed into new objects, or textiles woven with organic fibres, each piece on display serves as a testament to the creative potential of sustainable design.
OBJECTS hold significant social meaning, helping us imagine different scenarios, situations, and relationships, while connecting us to other objects, places, and people. They tell stories from history, serve as vessels for memories, or convey materiality, originality, and purpose. By exploring the stories behind objects, we can reexamine our connection to items that bring us joy, highlight their influence on our decision-making, and discover how this awareness might contribute to reducing our carbon footprint.
Inside the gallery
Photographs by Lloyd Russell
Buy the book!
This exhibition is an evolution of the conversation … in The Green Maker Initiative Book edited by Emma Whittaker & Polly Macpherson, and published by University of Plymouth Press.
Many of the exhibiting makers can be found in the pages of this beautiful and practical book.
The Green Maker Initiative Book was supported by the ERDF Low Carbon Devon project within the Sustainable Earth Institute at the University of Plymouth, MAKE Southwest, Arts Council England and the Crafts Council.
The GMI Book is printed on ‘Revive’ recycled paper, using vegetable inks and printed in the UK by local company, Short Run Press (Exeter).
Plan your visit
Please note that this exhibition is on display in the University of Plymouth’s Arts Institute (not at MAKE Southwest). To plan your visit you should head to their website.