At Timber Festival in 2022 we were invited to showcase our skills at running a workshop in the National Forest!
As we are an upcycled DIY S.H.E.D that now has over 21 possible bespoke configurations, all designed with the public to deliver live events, workshops, talks, performances and exhibitions, this was the perfect outing for the S.H.E.D Team!
At Timber Festival we invited the festival goers to help us create new ideas for S.H.E.D. Ideas that were focused on nature-connected practice and research. We had so many brilliant ideas from the generous Timber Festival audiences. Ideas, questions and provocations about what we could do next to help promote changes in society to help save our planet!
We collected a wall that became filled with pledges, hopes and dreams for a nature-connected future.
Thank you to everyone for coming to put your voice on our wall as a call for action. Global Design leaders and innovators from Design for Planet, COP26 have started it off, and Timber Festival, you took the batton and have continued keep the conversation alive by telling us what you think and helping team S.H.E.D to finalise and shape the nature-connected voice of S.H.E.D!
We were invited back to Timber Festival in 2023!
We were commissioned by Wild Rumpus for Timber Festival to bring discussion of environmental challenges to young people and together we delved into the role of design education in placemaking and the important role of people. The resulting installation for Timber Festival was playful and creative. It shed light on the importance of nature connected design to share information and educate others on the climate crisis. We were delighted to gift some of the young people and their families with tickets to join us at S.H.E.D to see their work and experience a festival, which brought new audiences to Timber Festival, whilst offering fun for all the family.
Over 300 Year 8 pupils from Littleover Community School worked with academics from the University of Derby to create artwork and designs that were exhibited with S.H.E.D at Timber Festival in the National Forest. The workshops were delivered as part of an annual event called MADfest, held by the school’s Creative Arts Faculty, that encourages young people to explore social justice issues such as climate change, through the mediums of Music, Art and Drama (MAD) to address the relationship between creative careers, community, and society.
Recycling bins, donated by Derby City Council, were upcycled by the students with fun and creative designs to encourage members of the public to recycle. Students also took part in a session on astrophotography, creating photographic images of the night sky using Photoshop, whilst discussing the effects of light pollution. Works created by the pupils at MADfest were then curated and showcased via S.H.E.D at the Timber Festival, which had an audience of over 5,000 in attendance. The installation featured podcasts, research data, design ideation and QR codes to take audiences to a range of videos about MADfest and S.H.E.D.
“It was fantastic to have the SHED structure at Timber Festival 2023! We loved getting to know the students and SHED team, and it was brilliant to see the students’ work progress – from the conception stage at the MAD day workshops, to being on site at Timber Festival for our audience to enjoy. It is so important to us for children to learn about sustainability and the natural world in different engaging and creative ways.” – Timber Festival
“The success of MADfest would not have been possible without the involvement of S.H.E.D, who played a crucial role in facilitating the individuals and organisations that contributed to the workshops. MADfest was an outstanding event that brought together creativity, education, and environmental consciousness. It provided a platform for students to learn, grow and contribute to positive change in their community and a safe space for students to share their ideas and be empowered to generate creative outcomes. One of the powerful aspects of MADfest was how it emphasised student voice, actively encouraging them to express their ideas and views in a range of formats on relevant environmental issues.” – David Ashman, Coordinator of Creative Arts at Littleover Community School