Seeking Sustainability in the Crafts
Tuesday 23 April 2024
10.30am - 12.30pm
OR
2.30pm - 4.30pm
FREE
Venue: MAKE Southwest
Suitable for: Established makers with an interest in sustainability within craft
On the 23rd of April Dr Peter Oakley from the Royal College of Art will be holding two craft practitioner meetings at Riverside Mill with the support of MAKE Southwest. These are part of a wider scoping initiative, being run to help pinpoint the sustainability issues currently faced by small businesses, sole traders, and studio craftspeople working in the UK’s craft sector. The intention of the two sessions, and the study overall, is to identify the specific problems faced by craftworkers. In the longer term, we aim to develop an advisory service to assist craft practitioners in developing more sustainable solutions or ways of working.
Both sessions will run for two hours. We will start by outlining the recent and current sustainability-focused projects run by Peter at the Royal College of Art that relate to the creative sector, with an emphasis on the crafts. These projects cover material sourcing and processing, or approaches to carbon footprint accounting. This short presentation will be followed by a chance for participants to ask any related questions. After a refreshment break, we will regroup for a facilitated discussion session. The participants will be able to talk about their own general aspirations and concerns around sustainability and describe which issues they feel are currently most pressing in relation to their own practice.
We are looking for a range of perspectives, so input from participants with any level of understanding or interest in sustainability as it relates to their craft practice will be valued. There is no need to make any preparations for the event, other than booking a place on either the morning or afternoon session. All the information and views offered will be treated as confidential; none of the comments made by participants will be attributed in any subsequent publications or at any future events without that participant’s prior consent.
These meetings are the first stage of a wider programme of collaboration between the Royal College of Art and craft organisations and businesses across the UK, with the intention of helping craft practitioners make their making more sustainable. At this meeting Peter will be collecting information about craft practitioners’ understanding and approaches to sustainability. Over the coming months he will be holding further group engagement sessions in Devon and elsewhere addressing each of the identified issues and undertaking individual support activities with selected interested participants.
If you would like to attend one of the sessions, please email hannah@makesouthwest.org.uk
Dr Peter Oakley
Dr Peter Oakley is Reader in Material Culture and Co-Lead of the Material Engagements Research Cluster (MERC) at the Royal College of Art. He specialises in ethnographic, experiential, and object-based research, focusing on materials and making. Over the past six years, Peter has become increasingly involved with identifying, supporting, and promoting more sustainable practices across the creative industries through research projects supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council or the RCA’s Impact Development Scheme.