Lucy Robertson
RESEARCH
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Material Sweetie Shop
Understanding material qualities and properties is imperative for designers. These Images showcase a material sweetie shop built from waste material and examples of the materials in use. The shop is intended as a learning resource for designers to help consider what existing materials can be utilised in design projects. It is estimated that roughly 80% of the environmental impact a product will have in its life cycle is decided during the design stage. While the aim is to eliminate waste all together by creating a circular process, with creations either being re-used or return to the earth as food (Barber, 2019) as Katie Treggiden highlights, 'the resources we need are no longer in the ground, but in landfill' (2020). This research looks to explore the possibilities of the materials and further understand how waste can change from a 'fact' into a 'category' and resource (ibid).
This sweetie shop was part of EAD 2023 exhibition Extreme Making: Expansive Methods And Critical Themes In Design Doctoral Research And Education
The shop is currently being used within workshops and teaching as a resource of materials at Heriot-Watt University for other research projects such as "Rubbish Robots'. ​
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Clothing made with ocean waste, jackets tailored from landfill material and a fire extinguisher reborn as a lamp are among the exhibits to be showcased in a new free Scottish exhibition about how the design industry could help combat climate change.
 
Staged by staff and students at Heriot-Watt University’s world-renowned School of Textiles and Design in the Scottish Borders, the exhibition is called Metamorphosis and opens at The Great Tapestry of Scotland visitor centre in Galashiels on Tuesday 17th January 2023.
Gallery 1420
The Great Tapestry of Scotland
17th January - 28th March
More info here: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/23250366.heriot-watt-university-exhibition-open-galashiels/
and Here: https://www.hw.ac.uk/news/articles/2022/landfill-and-ocean-waste-help-to-inspire-new.htm
Through craft, textiles and technology connections are being made between Cianalas, a Dementia Friendly Community based in the Outer Hebrides and Dementia Friendly East Lothian. With funding from Dementia Engagement Empowerment Project (DEEP).
Through Creative Clans, I have run a series of workshops with both groups including thermochromic totes, circular weaving and conductive pom-pom making. Following the workshops, I have been working with the communities to create in ways that connect us.
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The group has chosen to use the circular weaving and pom-poms to craft bomb areas in their communities, raising awareness of the Dementia Friendly Communities and of the groups that they are part of.
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Alongside this the groups will meet and make together at two gatherings one in September and another in October.
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Published work from Sonic Flock:
Sonic Flock: using textile birds to start conversations within a Dementia Friendly Community in the Outer Hebrides. see the poster here: https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2019.1595459
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Find other published work on the PUBLICATIONS page
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As part of my PhD Internship funded by SGSAH with An Lanntair's Arora project , we created a flock of Sonic Birds with makers from all over the UK.
Find out more here: bit.ly/Sonic_Flock
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Some of the flock were adapted to into Sonic birds meaning when they are touched they sang their own birdsong.
These were displayed together at An Lanntair as part of Arora's Memory/Cuimhne Symposium.
They have now been gifted to those living with dementia throughout the Outer Hebrides. We visited 7 care homes throughout Lewis, Harris and the Uists.
The Images opposite have been taken by Paula Brown, Mhairi Law and Lucy Robertson.
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Sonic Flock: using textile birds to start conversations within a Dementia Friendly Community in the Outer Hebrides
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Published work from collaboration with Sara Nevay:
Crafting Textile Connections: A mixed-methods approach to explore traditional and e-textilecrafting for wellbeing
Read the paper here: https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2019.1595459
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E-textiles: Crafting Connections for Wellbeing
On October the 27th 2017 PhD researcher Sara Nevay and I ran 'E-textiles: crafting connections for health and wellbeing' workshops as part of Make:Shift:Do Dundee 2017 at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
Follow Make:Shift:Do Dundee on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram for future workshop information.
And find out more about the workshop here:
lucyrobertsondesigns.wordpress.com
Sonic Textiles for Health and Wellbeing by Lucy Robertson
Published in The Design Journal
Volume 20/Issue 5/ September 2017
‘Sonic Textiles for Health and Wellbeing’ outlines a PhD study using textiles as an interface for sound applied within health and wellbeing.
View the paper here: http://bit.ly/Paper1LR
Want to discuss a collaboration or this research further? Get in touch!
