Group Reflection on Research Project (post Workshop 1 reflection):
Discussed PAR – what does it mean?
‘ Rather than simply observing and studying, PAR tries to make sense of the world through a collective effort to transform it.’
Group weren’t that interested. They felt like they couldn’t come up with something because this was new information / questions they hadn’t reflected on. They felt like I had an advantage as I had been thinking / planning this.
Broke down my expectations and how I thought that was wrong.
What did we want to address?
The students all wanted to be part of this project because they wanted to MAKE something.
Discussion – What are we doing?
We want to make and we want to reduce the amount of waste that is produced in our studio.
Workshop 2 Summary:
CATEGORIZE:
We sorted the ‘waste’ collected in the studio. It was mainly lots of different types of plastic.
- Paper (various)
- Plastic (various)
- Food packing (mix of plastic + foil)
- Metal clips
We decided that plastic was the most common material and that actually there were lots of different types of plastic within that category. We tried to categorize the plastic based on what types were there, through this process we learnt as a group what are the different categories for plastic and their scientific names.
Design Discussion:
We thought about what we wanted to think about making with this plastic, we decided it should be something that would benefit all the studio users.
The proposed ideas were:
- Rug (woven plastic)
- Model people (PET)
- Glue (foam)
- Drinking Cup
- Cleaning Set
- Fidget Spinner (sensory toy to reduce stress)
- Rulers / T Squares
We decided to vote for what we wanted to make. We discussed whether this should be anonymous, but it was decided that wouldn’t be necessary. Ella had worked in summer camps and suggested that we go through all the options and raise our hands for the objects we were interested in. We would each have 2 choices.
Results:
- Rug (woven plastic) 0
- Model people (PET) 7
- Glue (foam) 0
- Drinking Cup 0
- Cleaning Set 10
- Fidget Spinner (sensory toy to reduce stress) 4
- Rulers / T Squares 2
The Cleaning set won the vote. We reflected that this was an interesting choice because it tied in this theme of repair and looking after the spaces in which we co-habit
We discussed items which might be included in this ‘cleaning kit’:
- Bin / Plastic collector
- Dust pan / Brush
- Spray Bottle
- Dish Brush
- Cleaning gloves
Action Plan:
We are each going to propose some designs for the items we identified in the cleaning kit.
We are going to collect Plastic.
- Joy is going to create 3 bins to collect plastic in the studio.
- Donya is going to out a call out to students for plastic collection
- Lucy will speak with cleaning / other staff
Next meeting we want to come up with a name and a logo for our group. The group wants to continue beyond the 3rd workshop and keep working on the project.
Transition from PAR -> community of practice.
Post workshop online research:
Plastics workshop LCC:
https://3dworkshoplcc.arts.ac.uk/books/plastics-essential-info/page/introduction-to-plastics
I am technically a student there so I should get access.
Past UAL workshop:
Plastic recycling resources:
https://collect.preciousplastic.com/
https://community.preciousplastic.com/map#burtonrerun
https://www.preciousplastic.com/starterkits/overview
London Plastic recycling firms to contact:
https://www.burtonrerun.co.uk/groups