Summer Series: A time to explore.
Time, as we all know, is a luxury. But allowing some time to research, explore and experiment is so important for future innovation and for making change. It is head space that can allow us to dream and to create.
A project I have been wanting some headspace for, is to explore a better circular economy for Alice Made This.
We already take note of the 'design for a circular economy' by thinking how we will break our products down at the point of creation. Now I want to look more at our waste, as a project, and look at how we can minimise and re-use this. The areas we currently consider to have material waste are:
- The point at which we cut our metals (for example our Precision turning shavings).
- Any development samples we create.
- A product that has been is rejected in quality control (hairline scratches or small nicks).
Over the course of the summer I want to explore these areas and see how we can build on our re-use, re-cycle and reduce, whether in a pragmatic or more abstract way.
We are already very considered with our materials and processes. You can read all about it here in Our Philosophies. In addition the waste from our precision cutting is also already recycled back into the rods that we use. Our amazing engineers have a great scheme that manages this impeccably for us. I am keen to show you more about this when I can get to the depot to capture this visually for you. Today though, I start with a project that we are in mid flow on. Something that has sparked such joy with me personally as it harps to past present and future. It looks at a true craft, and combines alchemy and nature, making me go Wow!
I had the pleasure of meeting Lucy Mayes, of London Pigment, back in March this year. Lucy in an artist and pigment maker, studied at The Ruskin, Oxford University and The Royal College of Art where her interest in colour theory, pigment processing and paint making began. Her practice is centred on the use of unusual, surprising or esoteric raw materials to make colour and she's as much of a fan of copper as I am…I will introduce you properly to Lucy in a few weeks but for now I want to introduce you to our Copper pigment project.
Verdigris is a beautiful colour and it is a pigment that can be made from copper. We have begun the process of using our small collection of reject pieces to create copper pigments.
As you can see from the images here is it amazing! I will go into the technical detail more as we progress, but my hope is to create paints fro the pigments we can release from the pieces and to create pieces with these paints.
Watch this space... :)
