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CRAFT | HERITAGE | ENVIRONMENT
Tea Bag Painting and Stitching
Nettles for Textiles: the Search for Sustainable Cloth 1
Pigments, Powder, Stones and Earth
ISSUE 16 SPRING 2019
Dear Readers,
Credits
Winter has already abandoned us! The last time I wrote to you it was November 2018. In September I had just given birth when I heard about the IPCC report on BBC news. I remember vividly how dark and desolate that morning felt. The report, co-written by over 90 scientists with references from over 6000 scientific papers, states that we must limit global warming to 1.5 degrees within the next 12 years if we don’t want the catastrophic impacts of climate change on the planet to be irreversible. This means that we must act now by implementing ‘rapid’, ‘far-reaching’ and ‘unprecedented’ changes at all levels of society and across all industries: agriculture, transport, infrastructure, energy, construction, lifestyle. After hearing this news, it was (and still is) difficult to switch off and go about daily life as normal. Indeed, more and more people are feeling the same. People have been mobilising. More and more, people are being vocal about climate change. Extinction Rebellion (XR) was founded in October 2018. It organised a number of high-profile protests and has since expanded dramatically. Also, many ‘Youth Strikes 4 Climate’, inspired by Greta Thunberg, have taken place on Fridays across the world. No Serial Number Magazine, with the nearly 200 like-minded eco-conscious artisans and enterprises that we have worked with in the past few years, has always known that radical change is needed to address the environmental crisis. Indeed, that’s why this magazine exists. Yet the gravity of this report hit us hard. After lots of soul-searching, we have therefore taken the difficult decision that No Serial Number Magazine will cease to exist under its current name after the Autumn Issue 2019. We will re-launch in Spring 2020 after the release of the Eco Print Workbook in Winter 2019. Sustainable artisanship, understood as making and trading the everyday stuff we need according to principles of social and environmental justice, represents for us a form of resistance against consumerism, unsustainable manufacturing, and air, soil and water pollution. This aspect of our work, in the form of artisan profiles and tutorials, will remain the same. However, we plan to expand our work to integrate more themes related to environmental activism and policy, because we need to stay informed and push for change holistically, at the individual, business and government levels. Sign up to the newsletter if you want to be kept up to date about the changes that will happen to No Serial Number Magazine after September 2019. I leave you to explore the many features of this issue on your own, from earth pigments to tea-bag painting and stitching, from botanical dyeing to digital printing, from jute to nettles, from willow to leather waste, new ways of shopping fashion, and our usual features on eco-friendly businesses. Until the summer,
Alessandra & NSN Team
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Editor Alessandra Palange Art Editor Francesca Palange NSN Italy Editor Rosa Rossi Translations Fuschia Hutton Advertising info@noserialnumber.org Cover Photos Image by Heidi Gustafson Graphic Content: Fonts by Creativeqube Design, By Lef Design, Mainfile, Freepik and desings by whiteheartdesign. Copyright All images are copyright protected and are the property of their respective makers/owners as detailed in each article and photo. No Serial Number Magazine is published four times a year. No responsability will be accepted for any errors or omissions, views expressed or comments by editors, writers or interviewees. No Serial Number Magazine makes all efforts to advertise products that are in accordance with its ethos. However, goods advertised are not necessarily endorsed by No Serial Number Magazine. Information is correct at the time of publication. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. All prices are accurate at time of going to press but these may change at any time.
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No Serial Number Team ALESSANDRA, EDITOR
Being the editor of No Serial Number Magazine is a hobby for me, something that I do out of passion and with the belief that there are many things we can do to make the world a greener place, one of them is producing and consuming more responsibly as a society. If you’d like to propose a story for No Serial Number Magazine you can email me here: info@noserialnumber.org
FRANCESCA, ART EDITOR
After many years working as a retail manager in the fashion industry, I became more and more passionate about eco printing and graphic design, so much so that I am now in charge of the design of the magazine. You can contact me here info@noserialnumber.org
ROSA, NSN ITALY EDITOR
I am a retired Latin and Greek teacher and an avid knitter and crocheter. I have published school textbooks and work as a freelance writer for Pearson Italia. I am mainly in charge of finding eco-sustainable realities in Italy, where I am based, and writing about them. I also manage the Italian Blog of No Serial Number Magazine, so if you’re interested in No Serial Number Italia, please visit the blog it.noserialnumber.org or email me: noserialnumberitaly@gmail.com
Featured Contributors
Holly Foat
As a freelancer, I’m passionate about supporting the local community and helping local businesses. I also work in ethical marketing, and enjoy promoting sustainable living and blogging about it. I’m a craft and upcycling enthusiast, especially textiles, although I rarely find the time to create as my two young children keep me busy! Blog: www.noserialnumber.org/directory/author/holly-foat Facebook: @EthicalByHeart Twitter: @CaptainHolly
Paige Perillat-Piratoine
I am especially interested in growing the urban fabric. From urban agriculture to biomaterials, I work with projects that contribute to a more organic cityscape and report on the people that make the steps in that direction.
Kate Stuart
I’m a practising artist, writer, craftswoman and environmental activist based in the North East of England. I specialise in upcycling, zero waste living, quilting and painting with acrylic on canvas. Website: www.thephoenixgreenstore.org Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/uk/shopThePhoenixGreenStore Facebook and Instagram: @thephoenixgreenstore
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ISSUE 16 SPRING 2019
Contents TRADITIONAL ARTS, TRADES AND CRAFTS 6.
The Call of Creative Pathways: Styling The Stories With Kate Cullen
10 One Artist, Many Techniques: The Textiles .
of Christiana Vardakou
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Christiana Vardakou
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16. A Book of Recipes, Many Vegetable Colours, Wool and Fabrics: The History of Frome 20. Tea Bag Painting and Stitching
Lizzie Farey
26. Pigments, Powder, Stones and Earth 32. Jute, From the Field to the Studio Via the Garden Oversize Knee Patch Tutorial 36. Nettles for Textiles: Rediscovering Wild Fibre and the Search for Sustainable Cloth 42. From Baskets to Sculpture SUSTAINABLE FASHION 46. Footwear From Waste Leather 50. Sharing is the New Shopping: A Nu Age for Fashion UPCYCLING HUB 54. Garbage Turned to Treasure 60. Pebble, Sea Glass and Beach Rubbish
Kate Cullen
ZERO WASTE 66. Plastic Free Craft Campaign Spring Update 68. A Journey to Open a Zero Waste Shop
in
Ottowin Footwear
Cornwall
PROJECTS FOR THE PLANET
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PETITIONS Extinction Rebellion: Managing Social Change THE ECO CRAFTER AND ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
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Early Futures
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ABOUT
Each issue is created with love: love for our world heritage and love for the environment. We are really passionate about meeting creative people that put all their effort in combining these two elements - that’s why this magazine exists! In this day and age we desperately need to change the way we live, consume and produce. We hope that with this magazine we are contributing towards this goal. If you love what you see purchase today and help us grow and reach more people! www.noserialnumber.org
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ARTICLE SUBMISSION & BOOK REVIEWS We are proud to have a global readership so we are always curious to learn of sustainable creative initiatives around the world. You can now submit your story directly by visiting our GET A PROJECT FEATURED page on the website: www.noserialnumber.org
Summer Issue 2019
OUT SUMMER 2019
www.noserialnumber.org
PINTEREST Follow our Pinterest boards for vintage fashion, traditional toys, natural colours, textile design, ecofriendly ideas & recommended books www.pinterest.com/ noserialnumber
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TRADITIONAL ARTS, TRADES & CRAFTS ISSUE 16 SPRING 2019
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The Call of Creative Pathways: Styling The Stories With Kate Cullen Interview by Kate Stuart Photography by Bowtie & Belle Photography I am often asked about my creative life by those interested in what I do, and yet every time, without exception, I pause before replying, trying to decide in that split second before the pause becomes uncomfortable, which part of my creativity to speak of first. There are many artistic paths I follow, and they all feel equally important. I imagine that many other artists feel the same, unable or unwilling to place the artistry that makes them who they are, into just one box. With a creative spirit, how do you choose just one discipline, just one story? And how do you resist the outside pressure to stick to just one path, when there are so many to explore?
the point where I could leave my day job and pursue my own business fully – and I’ve never been happier!” Beginning as a hire service for vintage tableware, and moving into styling weddings and events, Kate soon began adding her own creative flair with small artworks, hand-dyed ribbons and table linens. “Eight years on”, she tells me, “and I have added paper-making to my list of activities, alongside continuing to style not for weddings any longer, but for other creatives – designing and directing editorial brand shoots for them to show off their skills and get them the imagery their businesses deserve to take them forward. I adore working with other creative people – it’s an enormously rewarding job, so much so that I have created an online community of creative people – Nurture & Bloom - a group to inspire and support other people in the creative world.”
Kate Cullen is one creative who doesn’t get hemmed in by the expectations of others and has mastered both the art of listening to her heart and the courage to follow her own creative path, wherever that may lead her. From a young age, historical art and artefacts had always fascinated her, and led her path through a ten-year career in archaeology. Uncovering ancient stories long held safe in the earth and carrying them forward to new listeners brought her joy. But she never let go of the other parts of her creative self. “I don’t believe in putting myself, or other creative people into neat little boxes”, she explains. “I think most creative people are capable of doing a great many different art forms, and I see it as a strength not a weakness to show off all these different skills. I love learning new crafts and working in different mediums. I feel all these elements make my business offerings unique, and they all feed beautifully into one another too.”
Nurture and Bloom began as a way to bring creatives together, uniting people from across all creative disciplines – as Kate herself says, “to find a common purpose of support and to inspire each other. I have no agenda other than to create a community that supports and nurtures one another – there is so much negativity and comparison out there, especially in the online world, I wanted Nurture and Bloom to be a safe, joyful and enriching space where we can share
Kate is a creative stylist and designer, based in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, UK. A lover of natural dye techniques, vintage things and their lost stories, handmade paper, textiles and all things nature-based, the professional path she follows is tailored exactly to her passions - passions she attributes to her family background. “I’ve been very lucky”, she tells me, “that my family members have always been incredibly creative people and encouraged me to follow and try new art forms … my mother especially, who I always remember painting when we were on holidays when I was small. She also encouraged me to visit museums and art galleries and some of those visits have remained strong influences on my own work even today. My parents and grandparents are also keen gardeners and my grandmother especially has a great love of floral designs. My love for all things from nature and the great outdoors definitely came from them.” Kate’s creative career blossomed after her daughter was born. “Like many people”, she explains, “with the arrival of my daughter I wanted to find a new career that allowed me more flexibility, as well as satisfying my creative spirit. So I started up my business when she was very small and I was working part-time in an office job. Eventually it progressed to 7
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“Prolonging: Aegean Sea” naturally dyed silk fabric dyed with natural indigo, 2018 10
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One Artist, Many Techniques: The Textiles of Christiana Vardakou Interview by NSN Team Photography by Christiana Vardakou Christina was born in an environment filled with art. Surely in this environment lie the foundations that allowed her to grow as an artist. Here she tells us her artistic journey.
Hi Christiana, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to No Serial Number Magazine. We are so pleased to be showcasing your work. First of all, tell us something about your background.How did you become interested in textile design? I developed an appreciation of art and design from an early age. My parents both draw and paint, my father is an architect and my mum paints a lot in her free time. My sister also studied Fine Arts. Our house has always had tons of books about art and design for inspiration as well as prints and paintings decorating most walls. I have always loved drawing, but in my teenage years I started being interested in texture and shape. I wanted to create three-dimensional objects and pieces that could be used. I started thinking about fashion and textiles, and after a foundation course I decided that textiles were what I wanted to focus on. I could draw and print my drawings on different fabrics but I could also create textures and feels. You can do a bit of everything, and that’s what I like - how versatile textiles are, and the freedom I feel when creating them.
from dyeing textiles with chemical dyes is one of the substantial sources of severe pollution problems. Whereas disposing of natural dyes does not cause any problems — in Thailand they use the excess of the natural dyes to water their plants. The textile and fashion industry uses more water in its processes than any other industry apart from agriculture and it releases huge amounts of toxic chemicals into the environment every day. Working slowly, not following fastfashion cycles and being aware of what each technique does to the planet is what every designer should have in mind while designing and producing items. I see that in addition to working with botanical dyes and digital printing, you also work with screen-printing and batik. Is it possible to combine these techniques? Do you ever work with more than one of these techniques on the same piece? If so, can you describe some examples (preferably accompanied by photos)? I do really enjoy combining techniques, it’s something I’ve always done. I like drawing using watercolours and markers
You do both digital printing and botanical printing. Can you tell us, from an environmental perspective, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each technique? In which situations would you prefer one over another? I enjoy working with both of these techniques. Digital printing allows me to transfer a drawing really easily onto fabric, whereas botanical printing and dyeing is so much fun and I love the colour possibilities, and the experimentation. However, they both have their limitations. Digital printing is quick and there is increased productivity (since the printer can always be printing) and that is why it is used in ‘Fast Fashion’ - it has a faster turnaround time compared to other print techniques. It is better for the environment compared to silk printing since it decreases industrial waste and print loss, and also doesn’t use as much water (just one wash after the design has been printed). My issue with digital printing is that even though it does not burden the environment as much as other techniques, it still supports the ethos of ‘Fast Fashion’ and quick disposal. However, I use it for some of my work. I work in a slow manner, and I would not print anything I didn’t have a purpose for or I wasn’t sure about. I use natural dyes to dye fabrics and sometimes to screen-print with. They are definitely better for us and our skin compared to synthetic dyes. Toxic dyes can make eczema worse, or even cause allergies. Natural dyes and organic fabrics are much better for our skin, letting it breathe. Also, the wastewater
Indigo Dye Vat, 22 years old vat, Houey Hong Voca-
ontional top, orCenter, acrylic paints with oil pastels. Vientiane, Laos 2018 11
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Pigments, Powder, Stones and Earth Interview by Paige Perillat-Piratoine Photography by Heidi Gustafson
If you open the Early Futures website you will be immediately blown away. Why? Just a full page of mesmerising pigments in powder form, which if you look long enough come to represent in your mind the colours of earth. In this article we interview Heidi Gustafson to learn more about this ambitious project. Hi Heidi, I can see you studied forensic art/science and have an MA in Philosophy and Religion. Those are very interesting subjects. What did each of them teach you about your current practice? I think the common thread between these two is intensive field work that reveals what is hidden in plain sight. In forensic science, it’s death - or corpse-oriented: piecing together details of a crime scene, identifying the criminal or their behaviors, uncovering the identity of a skeleton, or the reason behind a death. In philosophy and religion (inside of which I studied natural philosophy – philosophy and religion interested in thinking with nature), it’s arguably life- or ‘consciousness’-oriented: getting to the heart of what is here, what makes things feel alive, how do we discover meaning, based on contemplating and observing natural (which is also mental or internal) phenomena.
when you actually read or listen to the primary texts. For example, the reality of angels. What’s that? Or a ‘chi’ pulsing through everything. What’s that? I think aside from religion and philosophical traditions there are the sciences, arts, literary lineages and many other ways of exploring existence openly, and letting all experiences count equally as sources of meaning and inspiration. I found that a lot of philosophy and religion, especially feminist or transhumanist revisionings, can totally support practices in being as compassionate with non-human beings – whether that’s stones, deities, angels, Allah, landforms or words, precious gold-leafed books - as you are about human beings. And of course, in the history of religion, and also philosophy, minerals and stones play a kind of subversive, oracular and magical role - an obvious one being Adam, from the Hebrew ‘dm, which harkens back to ‘red soil’ or ‘red earth’ (i.e. red ochre or iron-rich earth). ‘dm is also carried forward in the words for silence, blood, humankind…
So both taught me different ways of deep observation, finding meaningful stories in a field of abstract fragments or concepts, and maybe most importantly, taught me to build curiosity around what’s at the heart of life-force. And what’s in the hearth of death. And… what we do in between.
You focus especially on iron-rich pigments, is that right? Or would you say your focus is on ochre? Or is it on mineral pigments in general? (I avidly read your website - it is so new and interesting to me - but I couldn’t make out exactly what you do; perhaps it changes a lot?)
What did you learn in university and what did you learn yourself? How does one learn about the history and making of pigments? I didn’t learn anything about earth pigments directly in any of my education that I recall! Not even at art school. Kind of ridiculous. All of my knowledge about ochres, mineral pigments and geology came from experience with the stones and soils, working with researchers, solitary or hermit teachers, elders etc., dreamwork, intensive interdisciplinary research, and visioning/meditation practices.
My focus is on ochres, which, as a pigment material, are most generally defined as iron-rich minerals that include the elements iron (Fe) and oxygen (O) plus or minus other stuff, like clay. Thus my personal focus is really on iron and its diverse manifestations. Iron is an endlessly radical teacher to me. In terms of ochre, though, it can be a bit confusing! The word “ochre” linguistically means “light” or “yellow”, but that has very little to do with what an ochre pigment actually is. You can have red ochre (iron oxide), green ochre (ferromagnesian silicate), blue ochre (iron phosphate), and, of course, yellow ochre (limonite, goethite) etc. That said, I study non-iron mineral pigments too, like red cinnabar (mercury sulfide), because they sometimes show up in the same places as ochre, and are sometimes confused for them in archeological or artistic records. It’s important to understand all the lookalikes in order to correctly identify and work with the ironbased material.
However, I learned how to be a multi-disciplinary researcher. And I was introduced to the works of some influential ecological artists, philosophers and psychologists that were important to me, especially one of my favorite mineral advocates, Gaston Bachelard. How important are philosophy and religion in that mix? Important. Important though to revision them as ecological. That is to say, how can they most be of benefit to beings on earth and Earth itself? For me, what is key is finding traditions that make sense to you and help you to recognize your capacities for deep compassion towards others, where ‘others’ includes a pretty radical and interstellar meaning of what constitutes another being. A lot of philosophy and religion do have some pretty crazy crazy things going on
Why is that your focus? What inspired you to go in that direction? I went in this direction from the experience of powerful 27
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Footwear From Waste Leather Words by Paige Perillat-Piratoine Photography by Ottowin Footwear
Ottowin Footwear is a small enterprise that (mostly) uses waste leather to make shoes. They source this leather from Northampton, the cradle of the British footwear industry. In this instance, waste material corresponds to the leftover hides of samples from bigger British footwear companies.
the leather sold, though goat, pig and sheep skin are also sometimes used to supplement demand. The majority of cow leather is indeed sourced from animals who are slaughtered for their meat, though it also sometimes comes from dairy cows who no longer produce enough milk to be profitable. But there is an important economic link between the leather trade and industrial farming, and in reality, selling leather is less about minimising waste than it is about maximising profit. In fact, leather amounts to about 10% of the animal’s value, often making it the most valuable component of the animal; and in places where animal rights laws are more lax, they are often killed even if their bodies offer no substantial meat. This is the result of consumer demand which creates a market for this type of practice. In China in particular, the world’s leading leather exporter, millions of cats and dogs are slaughtered for their skins, a fact unknown to consumers owing to the lack of industry transparency. On top of that, while leather does decompose at the end of its lifecycle, its production is not environmentally friendly. It is associated with industrial farming, which is ethically questionable in so many ways regarding fossil fuel use, methane overproduction, water intensity, and land destruction. But the modern tanning process also involves the use of several chemicals, including ammonia and formaldehyde, which contaminate the soil and water supply, especially in countries where environmental regulations are not enforced. In the end it is unknown which
Lucy and Oliver are vegetarian, and have even moved to a vegan diet; yet meat is being consumed in large quantities, leather is also being produced as a result, and it would be a waste not to use it. What’s more, a huge amount of waste is caused through pattern cutting, creating the opportunity for Lucy and Oliver to recuperate it and give it a second life. They feel the mainstream existing alternatives to leather are extremely polluting as they are fossil-fuel derivatives which are rarely recycled and take centuries to decompose, in contrast to leather. In that sense they have a tremendous respect for the material and would rather use leather and the scraps of the footwear industry than see this precious fabric go to landfill. In fact, Lucy and Oliver also source some of their leather from Thomas Wares, one of the last remaining traditional tanners in the UK. This is an interesting debate, and it is difficult to trace the real environmental impact of the leather trade since it is often considered a by-product of the meat industry. This is not entirely true, however. Cow skin provides the bulk of
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Sharing is the New Shopping: A Nu Age for Fashion Words by Paige Perillat-Piratoine Photography by Kolbra Sveinbjornsson and Cecelia Morgan
The 1980s marked the rise of the phenomenon known as ‘fast fashion’. Nowadays, fast fashion has morphed into an industry-wide practice whereby new trends are constantly emerging, with brands releasing collections as often as every week. Such fast production and rabid consumption have a devastating impact, with social and environmental repercussions that threaten human lives and planetary ecologies.
The environmental impacts of fast fashion are equally dire. For example, it takes approximately 2,700 litres of water (22 bathtubs) and 7 lbs of CO2 (the equivalent of driving a car seven miles) to produce one cotton t-shirt. During this production process, chemical dyes leak into vital water sources and pollute rivers and ecosystems. Not only that: our clothes continue to be harmful to the environment even long after we dispose of them. In the US alone 10.5 million tonnes of toxic garment waste is sent to landfill each year, a figure about 30 times as hefty as the Empire State building. On top of this sits the microplastics debacle, which kills innumerable species of marine life each year.
While brands demand more products faster and cheaper, a massive strain weighs on the people who make our clothes. Garment workers in countries like India and Bangladesh are overworked, and often labour in unsafe conditions for exploitative pay. A catastrophic but illustrative case of this was the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, which saw the collapse of an eight-storey garment factory in Bangladesh. 1,134 people were killed while hundreds more were injured. The factory produced clothes for high-street brands such as Primark, Walmart, and Benetton, involving consumers worldwide in the consequences of their purchases.
But as destructive as it is, this is an ingrained reality. A pattern of behaviour worn across socio-economic classes and ages, with products available to all thanks to the incredible affordability of some labels. As college students in Dublin, Ali and Aisling were participants in this system, buying and disposing of clothes on a regular basis. They purchased what they could afford, i.e. cheap but poor quality garments. It was a trip to India through a volunteer program that confronted
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Garbage Turned to Treasure Interview by NSN Team Photography by Helen Frost
Where others might see garbage the artist sees treasures. How do garbage and art mix together using various techniques? We talk to Helen Frost to find out about these two elements in her art, which result in an interior design that brings memories of the countryside and the sea into the home.
We would like to explore the particular uniqueness of your art and try to grasp the relationship between your ‘eye’ and your work.
whether I am glorifying the very “rubbish” that I collect and use by turning it into “art”. Ultimately, I have decided that as long as I state my view of the bigger picture and also transmit the message about the need to recycle and to stop dropping land - and sea-sourced litter, I can justify what I do. I do appreciate that some will look at what I collect and say, “that is just a load of rubbish!”. And so it is, literally speaking. However, most people appreciate that there is an art to displaying the found items in a pleasing and sympathetic way and also enjoy the contrast between the rough and distressed and the smooth and contemporary frame or display.
Let’s begin with your walks: does the artist let the dog lead her, or the other way around? I am in charge! I choose the destination for the walk and only visit places where our dog can run free alongside me. He knows the drill now and I doubt he would take a route other than the one he knows. He does not wander far, although I do have to be quick or he will often grab the item of interest before I do! At this point he is in control. For this reason, most of my “in situ” photographs are taken from high vantage points. On one occasion, he picked up a piece of plastic and took it to the rubbish collection point on the shingle as he was so used to my going there! Looking at your work, we sensed an intrinsic link between the sea and the countryside. Is this just our impression, or is there some truth behind it? I would say that the countryside is my first love and I still get excited at seeing birds and animals or a flower in bloom. My father and his parents were country folk and they taught me how to look - how to notice the signs, for example, that a badger had been on a certain route or that a particular hedge was a likely nesting place. I don’t think I have ever been on a walk without noticing the “little things”: a seed head or piece of moss; a twig bursting into bud or a feather dangling from a branch. As a child, I always came home with something for the School nature table - I now live near to the coast so in the last 10 years, my walks have taken me increasingly sea-bound. The skill of really looking has stayed with me and my husband often remarks that I spot things that he would never see. I am still bringing things home for that nature table 50 years later!
I could spend my time making pleasant landscape pictures but, frankly, I don’t see the point. There are plenty of other artists doing that. I feel that I must create in a way that I am passionate about and I think that art sometimes needs to be ugly or disturbing to make a point. Having said that, I do not use brightly coloured plastic, for example - my colour palette has always been one of earthy tones or even monotone. Again, there are others making art from found plastic but not so many using the type of things that I prefer. To what extent does the combination of “beautiful” and “ugly” play a role in your interior design work? My involvement in the interior design world is now restricted to producing works of art. I think that beauty is in the eye of the beholder - some of what I find beautiful I know would seem ugly to others. Any art that makes the viewer think about the subject of it is worth doing. My interior design training has been of great help to me in creating art. It taught me the importance of texture, how to put colour together, and rules of composition.
Could you say that the two bags you carry represent, respectively, your source of artistic inspiration and your social awareness about rubbish? Yes, definitely. I started out, I must admit, just looking for art materials. But very soon I was only too aware of the volume of plastics, metals, rubber, twine and other detritus that was on my route. I felt strongly that I had to start picking that up too. In fact two bags are often not enough when there has been a storm or windy night. Some of the beaches I walk on provide bins and some do not. In any event, I tend to bring it all home (unless something is particularly heavy) as there is never a bin for recycling and I don’t wish to put my haul of plastic drinks bottles into the general rubbish. Not everywhere provides a bin at all. Sadly, the “trash” bag is always fuller than the “treasure” bag! To what extent can ugly or unpleasant rubbish become art? It’s a good question and one I ask myself a lot. I wonder
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Extinction Rebellion - Managing Social ChangeText by Chris Mauder for XR Citizen Assembly Working Group Photography by Kay Michel Get involved www.extinctionrebellion.org.uk The world is changing - of that there can be no doubt. The planet is changing, society is changing and how we manage that change will determine our future as a species.
adhered to. Further evidence of these examples can be found on the XR Citizens’ Assembly infosite at https://sites.google.com/view/xrca/
The question is; how do we go about changing our society to cope with the changes the planet is going through and could go through in the near future? Or, to put it another way, how do we adapt our society to the environment? How do we evolve?
However, it is the very idea of evolving the processes of public participation in politics that drives the desire of many of Extinction Rebellions members to protest. Of course, the changing climate is the catalyst for their protests but their fuel is social change. Assemblies of people discussing areas of concern in a structured, organised programme designed to enable an equality of all voices taking part, is not so much a vision of Extinction Rebellion as it is their main principle, their working practice as well as their demand. It is their intention to show us that if we want to manage social change it is we, the people, that can and must do it.
It may appear, on the surface, as though Extinction Rebellion believes that protesting about the lack of truth and action from government in regard to climate change is the best way to manage the changes necessary. However, if you dig a little deeper, there is a simple, quiet, calm method to their public madness.
A Citizens’ Assembly for the Climate Emergency can address one aspect of the problem, but climate change will affect us all, so we will all have to play our part in managing that change. We will all have to begin to take part in the discussions that will determine how we do actually manage these planetary changes as an intelligent and adaptable species.
At the core of their demands is the reduction of UK carbon emissions to net zero by 2025, but it is not written in their mandate as an empty promise. Extinction Rebellion are demanding a Citizens’ Assembly for the Climate Emergency to address this issue. Extinction Rebellion believes people, ordinary people, should be the ones to decide what major steps be taken as they will determine what type of society they wish to inhabit. Citizens’ assemblies have addressed and resolved numerous issues in numerous places around the world already. In Ireland, issues that were impossible for politicians to resolve, such as the law on abortion and same-sex marriage, were handled by citizens' assemblies and brought to a resolution. In Canada, citizens' assemblies have been used to deliberate and create recommendations on electoral reform, the outcomes of which have since been implemented. In Australia a citizens' assembly was set up to deliberate the pros and cons of a nuclear waste facility, and the outcome (that the facility would not make sense economically and should not go ahead) was respected and
The necessary social changes can no longer be the preserve of the elite, as they do not have the answers and have failed for decades to decelerate the process of environmental breakdown. Citizens must take responsibility for deciding what type of world they want. At this serious juncture, that decision should not be outsourced to the elite. Extinction Rebellion are trying to make power accessible to the people so they can act where governments and other authorities have failed. We all, as individuals and as a society, will have to step up and act and that is why Extinction Rebellion are doing their best to manage that change and why we should all help out where we can.
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WORKSHOP & EVENTS HUB
Chichester Art Trail The Art Trail provides an annual opportunity to visit studios of your choosing, see your favourite kind of art in the making, talk to artists you admire and discover all things new and surprising! In short, it is a chance for some inspiring days out; explore our beautiful byways, villages, coastline and city while you meet our artists in their working environments. The Studio, 20 Newport Drive, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 3QQ 2nd 3rd 4th and 9th and 10th May 2020 CONTACT DETAILS: www.chichesterarttrail.org 77
ISSUE 16 SPRING 2019
A mAGAZINE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRAFT MOVEMENT Why the name “No Serial Number”? Because nature and craft share a common characteristic, they are not made in series. They are both the result of an organic, slow process of growth and development. Not one leaf is the same, nor is a handmade creation. Crafts remind us that our hands and minds can work in tune with our natural environment to make things that are useful, or simply beautiful. As a society, we are in urgent need to slow down and preserve our collective environmental and artisanal heritages from unsustainable production practices and corporate greed. No Serial Number Magazine is a humble attempt to explore how creativity, nature, activism and business intersect in contemporary society. Who is it for? artists, artisans, casual makers, craftivists, and conscious citizens Topics textile arts • natural colours • traditional trades and crafts • creative upcycling and salvaging • slow fashion • zero-waste lifestyle • biodiversity • grassroots environmental movements INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED BY NO SERIAL NUMBER ISSN 2516-1776 (Print) ISSN 2516-1784 (Online)
No Serial Number Magazine www.noserialnumber.org info@noserialnumber.org Fb: www.facebook.com/noserialnumbermagazine Twitter: @N0serialnumberM Use #NoSerialNumber Pinterest: noserialnumber Instagram: @noserialnumber.com_magazine
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