Last Saturday, 31st March was the last of our spring series of Remade Social workshops – Kite Making using old floppy disks and video-tape – with locally based Iraqi artist Rashad Salim. Watch this space for more Remade Socials coming up in the summer!
Rashad, a member of our steering group for the Remakery, has an interesting history of playing and working with kites in art and art-therapy contexts. He tells his story below…
Rashad showing how to make floppy-disk kites
Participants putting the techniques into practice
Rashad flies his kite...
Ramon's kite, with tail decorated with disk inserts...
Little Hannah with her kite...
... and big Hannah (that's me) with one I borrowed!
Experimenting with a tetrahedral kite design - wrapping the frame carefully with cling film...
Rashad writes about the history of kites in his life:
“From early childhood in Peking, China I remember kites, and in Baghdad 1963 the diamond fighting kites that are a tradition all along the ancient silk route. Then in Stockholm (late 60′s) we skated on frozen lakes with hand held kite sails, and in summer used these with a canoe.
I’m interested in the crossover between kite and sail. We made box kites on the Tigris expedition (Thor Heyerdahl 1977-78), attempting to use these to extend our ham radio antenna – but failed miserably due to the turbulence of our sail. Early 1980′s in London I loved the Neal Street Kite shop and regularly flew assorted kites wherever including Hampstead Heath, and from there in all my travels.
I have explored Kites as art & craft media engaging issues that fundamentally involve different types and states of mindfulness.
The images on these web pages are from a happening that I like to think was some kind of therapy event I organised in Baghdad a few months after the 2003 invasion:
http://www.iraqimemorial.org/proposals_list.php?last=Salim&first=Rashad
http://www.carnetdevol.org/actualite/irak/irakfr.htm
Previously, in Rabat, Morocco (1999-2000) at the invitation of the Ibn Sina Psychiatric Institute, we made and flew assorted types of kite as a therapeutic tool in a program with severely traumatised and dysfunctional young people including young criminal offenders. Also in Rabat at that time I designed and developed a miniature kite system for use in wind/still air/outdoors/indoors, that could also play in turbulence. It became something like an aeronautical “Mechano” set made from the parts of the old “floppy disk” system and video-cassette tape. These “Ra-disk” kites particularly emphasise the physical movement aspect of kiting, bringing into play the mindfulness found in dance. The movement and manner of its use can be likened to ribbon gymnastics but with the added extension of having an extra aerofoil.”
This “Ra-disk” design was the core of our workshop on Saturday – using locally gathered floppy disks from Freecycle, with video-tape tails and fluttering tail decorations made from the papery inserts that protect the discs. The tiny kites flew strongly, even in low wind or with the movement of walking.
Thanks to all the participants and volunteers for your enthusiasm and creativity, and to the generous providers of materials!
The Remade Social continues on Saturdays throughout March. Why not join us for Kite Making, the final March workshop this Saturday 31st? We’ll be learning simple techniques for making elegant kites from everyday materials including paper, plastic bags, raincoats, and even old floppy discs! Then we’ll head to Streatham Kite Day on Sunday 1st April to fly our creations…
It’s a great way to spend an afternoon – try a new skill, meet new people and enjoy a few hours of calm doing something a bit different! Here are a few of the comments we’ve had from participants so far:
“Great to learn by watching and doing.”
“Lovely to work in a traditional way and go away with something.”
“Working wood is pleasant, active and relaxing at the same time.”
“Free resources, great instruction and wonderful skill building.”
“Lovely people, lovely teacher, a sense of community, a non-judgmental relaxed atmosphere.”
Below are some pictures from the previous two sessions – Creative Cardboard Construction on 17th March and Green Woodworking on 24th March.
Preparing cardboard for some creative construction!
A cardboard lampshade under construction
Cardboard picture frames can be made to your own unique design, like this...
... or this!
Getting busy with the green woodworking tools
Preparing wood on the Shave Horse...
Then working it on the Pole Lathe to make a rolling pin!
A Pole Lathe again. Well it's not every day you come across three of these in a hall in Brixton!
The first two Remade Socials have been really popular – DIY Solar Panel Making on 3rd March booked up fast, with 8 participants (and lots more enquiries! Watch this space as we’re sure to do more of these in future).
Last week we had 14 Newspaper Basket Makers and 5 Experimental Printers! It took some ingenious arrangement of tables to fit everybody in, but for such a crowded room the atmosphere was remarkably calm – must be the chilling-out effect of making things by hand. Some beautiful little baskets and printed scarves resulted - see photos of the work-in-progress below.
It’s a creative and friendly way to spend a Saturday afternoon trying something new. Why not join us for Creative Cardboard Construction tomorrow, Green Woodworking on the 24th or Kite Making on the 31st of March? Although most of the bookable spaces are full, everyone is welcome to pop by and see what’s going on, have a cuppa, and join in if you can find a space!
Volunteers are also welcome to help make the events run smoothly. If you’d like to get involved please sign up to our Volunteers Rota on Doodle (where you can specify which dates and jobs you’d like to do), and email remadeinbrixton@googlemail.com with your contact details.
Look forward to seeing you at a Social soon!
Experimental Printworkshop on 10th March
Waking up a sombre scarf with some bright neon prints
Newspaper basket making, 10th March
A coil basket in progress
DIY solar panel making on 3rd March
Brixtonians star in Zero Waste film
"Be Zero Waste - Join Brixton" film flyers, featuring local residents Sophie (with baby Evie) and Angela
On 23rd November at the Loughborough Centre, local residents were among the first to watch themselves and their friends on the big screen (pedal powered by our friends from Cycooldelic Revolution) – as the stars of “Be Zero Waste – Join Brixton”, a new short film showing simple steps you can take towards Zero Waste.
Tips included:
- Take your own shopping bags and buy unpackaged food: lots of the fruit and veg in Brixton Market can be bought loose, and even other types of food are sometimes refillable (for example, you can refill jars of herbs at Brixton Wholefoods, bottles of olive oil at Wild Caper, and jars of preserves at Cornercopia)
- Make the most of your food: only buy and cook as much food as you need; keep food cool (or even freeze it) to make it last; hang onto your leftovers and have a repertoire of recipes for reinventing them! Advice and cooking ideas to help prevent food waste are available from Love Food Hate Waste.
- Give real nappies a try: Sophie was surprised by how user-friendly real nappies were, and impressed by the money savings – even taking into account the costs of washing, real nappies work out 70% cheaper than disposables. In fact she liked them so much she’s started promoting them to other mums, as a nappy champion with Real Nappies for London.
- And of course, recycle the maximum: for an overview of Lambeth’s recycling services, visit this page. Recyclable items include paper and cardboard, glass bottles and jars, food and drink cartons, tins and cans, and many types of plastics (including bottles such as drinks, shampoo and washing-up liquid bottles; yoghurt pots, butter and margarine tubs, and other types of food containers e.g. ready meal trays). For a full list of what you can and can’t recycle, download a recycling guide here.
The film at its first screening on 23 November - with Choman pedalling alongside!
The film got everybody talking afterwards
“Be Zero Waste – Join Brixton” was made for Brixton Low Carbon Zone by a local company called Chocolate Films, and is available to watch on their website here.
It will also be part of a special Christmas screening – pedal powered once again – in Windrush Square between 4-5pm on Saturday 10th December. This is part of Brixton’s “Low Carbon and Zero Waste Christmas Celebrations” – running all afternoon from 12.30pm in the square, where you can:
- find out more about energy saving activities in Brixton Low Carbon Zone
- learn how to make your own Christmas decorations at no cost
- get your bike fixed at Doctor Bike’s surgery
- enjoy festive food and drink
- watch “Be Zero Waste” and other short locally-made videos on keeping your home warm and saving energy
- visit the Remakery stall to find out about our new shared workspace for re-use and upcycling enterprises, opening next year
For details of this event download the Brixton LCZ Xmas poster.
Cooking on gas: Loowatt at the Urban Physic Garden
Loowatt toilet at the Urban Physic Garden
The toilet bowl is "made from royal horse poop, sourced from the Queen's cavalry"
At last, I made it down to the Urban Physic Garden in Bankside yesterday – sadly, its final day – determined to see for myself the amazing Loowatt, “a revolutionary waterless toilet system that creates local economies around waste treatment”.
Handy information about the Loowatt system on the inside of the toilet door...
Bio-gas storage behind the loo
Since June, the Loowatt anaerobic digester has been producing a steady supply of biogas, used for cooking al fresco lunches at the Physic Garden’s café.
The anaerobic digester tank
The Loowatt system powers gas cooking in the Garden's outdoor kitchen
Can we install one at Brixton Reuse Centre and manage human waste to cook our meals? I’m going to investigate…
It has been a few months since the Brixton Upcycle Project workshop on transforming waste into opportunities for local businesses. Andrea Speranza – Brixton Low Carbon Zone’s Waste Prevention Adviser, who set up the project – has been busy exploring ideas with some of the participants. Now she is inviting Brixton businesses to a second free workshop on Wednesday 10 August, 3 -5.30 pm, at the Ritzy. An opportunity to focus on putting a few of those ideas into practice!
Christian Dillon from the Pallet Project will be inspiring us to reuse Brixton wood waste by sharing his successful experience in East London: eastlondonfurniture.co.uk
Pallet Project
Virginia Nimarkoh, a local resident, will be presenting an enterprise proposal based on food waste from Brixton businesses that could potentially benefit the Brixton community in different ways.
Following up on Niina (The Green Workshop) and Anne’s (Cornercopia) ideas of composting at Brixton Village market, Pawel Ryczan, Lambeth Recycling Officer, will show how to make a wormery using recycled materials.
There’ll also be information available on a new waste prevention loan fund for businesses committed to waste minimisation, and other funding opportunities to share. The workshop is an opportunity to meet and network with other local businesses. So please come along and contribute to building a zero waste Brixton together!
To book, RSVP to Andrea: ASperanza@lambeth.gov.uk
Jumble Sale anyone?
The New Gallery have been running a jumble sale on the third Saturday of every month for a while now. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to any sort of jumble sale and I feel there’s a void to be filled. So I’m eagerly awaiting the next one coming up on the 16th. It’s not just any jumble sale however – among the selected vintage bits and bobs and other more conventional jumble sale fare are recycled and re-purposed hand-made, one-off creations in the form of clothes, jewelery, prints and other bits and pieces. Also expect DJs, workshops, great food, bargain bins and even a portrait booth so you can have your drawing taken! See you there.
The Remade Quiz: unidentified remade objects wanted!
Have you seen a URO (Unidentified Remade Object) recently?
We are collecting pictures of interesting, beautiful and remarkable “remade” products… Items that used to be one thing and are now something else!
The more unrecognisable they are… the better! Because we’re putting together a Remade Quiz – fun for all ages at summer events like the Lambeth Country Show (16-17 July) and the Urban Green Fair (4 September).
For each picture, the challenge is to guess “What it used to be” and “What it is now”.
If you attended Brixton Green’s Family Fun Day back in May at Dexter’s Playground, the pictures below might look familiar. I won’t give away the answers here as these will continue to be part of the quiz (so the captions only tell you who made them and where – please note lots of them are local!)…
If you have any potential additions to the gallery, please get in touch – email remadeinbrixton@googlemail.com with your photos of Unidentified Remade Objects! (Remember to identify them in the email so we’ll know what the answers are for the quiz – and please credit the makers too.)
Looking forward to discovering more of the inventive and intriguing remade creations out there…
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- by Doy Co-operative (Philippines)
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- by Velo-Re (Herne Hill)
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- maker unknown (UK)
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- maker unknown (Nigerian, sold in Brixton market)
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- by Fuzum Assassinos (Brixton)
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- by Pli Design (West Norwood)
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- by Rashad Salim (Streatham Hill)
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- by Herman Guppy (Tobago), photo by Andrew Hitchcock
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- Remade Quiz at Brixton Green Family Fun Day
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- It drew crowds!
Makerhood website on the way…
Looking forward to the launch of the Makerhood website, a marketplace for artists, designers, growers – anyone from the local area who makes anything – to display and sell their goods online. The emphasis is on locally made goods from locally sourced materials, making it pretty unique among the huge majority of websites that currently sell goods from all over the world to people anywhere in it! It’s good to see people facilitating things that others seems to want – given the choice, most of us would choose to buy local goods to build more self reliant local economies and help move towards a more sustainable way of living. Makerhood makes it just that bit easier and on top of that, ‘you get to have cool, unique things’! Win, win.
You don’t have to be a professional to use the site so anyone can sell their stuff. Each maker will have a ‘stall’ (a page of their own on the site to showcase their goods) on the site and unless you sell something, you don’t pay a thing. And even then, it’s only 4% of the price which goes towards maintaining the website. Sounds fair to me.
The website will cover Brixton, Camberwell, Herne Hill and Stockwell but people who wish to get involved and come from elsewhere are encouraged to start up their own version in their local area. So expect to see local produce websites cropping up all over London before long!
If you’d like to get involved or just want to learn more about the project and meet some of the people behind it, why not go along to maker’s meeting – the next one is tomorrow at 3-4.30pm in Cafe Roha on Acre Lane.
Say curtains to cold weather
Sewing workshops at the Loughborough Centre
Save money this winter. Keep the heat in and the noise out with newly lined curtains. Sewing machines and free thermal lining provided.
In collaboration with Brixton Low Carbon Zone, Transition Town Brixton is organising a series of curtain lining workshops for residents in the Zone to insulate their homes.
These will be led by expert curtain maker Morag Selkirk and there will be a training session for volunteers who want to help with the project on Saturday 9 October, 1.30-5.30pm at the Loughborough Centre, Angell Road, SW9 7PD.
Curtain lining workshops will then be held fortnightly on Saturdays 16 and 30 October, 13 and 27 November, from 1.30-5.30pm at the Loughborough Centre. Subsequently we are looking to set up a resident-led social enterprise to continue the project.
Don’t miss out – book your place now at one of these free curtain lining workshops. Email: kfrederiks@lambeth.gov.uk or call 020 7926 6241.
If you enjoy sewing and would like to volunteer on this project (and are available for training on Saturday 9 October) please email remadeinbrixton@googlemail.com.
