MozFest fringe blog takeover: Day 2

Continuing our countdown to MozFest, on day 2 of the MozFest fringe takeover this month, we bring you the Crafts Council who are delivering an exciting UK wide festival which will bring digital making and new technologies to over 3,000 people.

What is it?

With a vision to make the UK the best place to make, see, collect and learn about contemporary craft, the Crafts Council offers a range of fun and accessible programmes and development opportunities to support educators, makers and academics interested in contemporary craft and education.

Their nationwide programme ‘Make:Shift:Do’ is a series of craft and innovation workshops running throughout October. It’s fuelled by the rise of open-source making and the recent popularity of 3D printers, the boom in new making, accessible new design technology and the spread of social media. The programme culminates in a festival on 28-29 October and is an opportunity for young people to be inspired to become the next generation of makers and to try their hand at a new digital craft, from 3D printing to laser-cutting or CNC milling.

Make:Shift:Do is organised by the Crafts Council in partnership with founding partners the V&A and Institute of Making at UCL. In 2016 the programme is also supported by partners the Centre for Fine Print Research at UWE, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Fab Lab Nerve Centre and Ultimaker GB.

What does it involve?

Museums, fablabs and maker spaces are opening their doors to interested makers, hackers, crafters, inventors or just the plain curious to come and see their facilities, or try out some new digital kit, meet new people and get inspired to create!

Across the UK there will be the chance to try out and see demonstrations of
3D Printing, CAD tools, Virtual Reality, computer building, coding, laser cutting, machine-knitting, electronic jewellery and much more. The festival will take place at venues across the UK - young people can check the map and what's on listings to see what's on offer near them.

Participants don't need to have any experience to take part – they just need to bring along enthusiasm!

The majority of events are open to all ages and abilities, and many families attend, so they hope to reach thousands of young people through this project.

Sample Discover journey:

Arts Award will be available to young people attending Make:Shift:Do at Discover and Explore levels.

A young person completing their Discover award could do the following:

Part A: Discover the arts all around you and take part in arts activities.

Go along to a Make:Shift:Do venue and take part in the workshops and tours. Watch demonstrations from digital artists and makers. You could have a go at using a 3D printer, or watch laser cutting in action.

Part B: Find out about artists and their work.

Visit a Make:Shift:Do venue and interview an artist, maker, designer or digital tinkerer! Ask them lots of questions about what they make and how they make it, and why they love combining craft and digital technology.

Part C: Share what you found out from attending Make:Shift:Do events.

Go back to school and tell your classmates about what you discovered and what you enjoyed or learnt through doing your Discover award. Or you could create a video telling people what you found out and enjoyed and share this online.

Top tip for digital delivery:

Provide space, tools and materials that give young people the chance to make and tinker. Introduce some basic making and digital skills, and then let young people discover new ways of working on their own and with their peers, and allow them to grow their confidence in finding design solutions for themselves. This will make for exciting discoveries they can record for their Arts Award and share with their peers. Through sharing, this will hopefully inspire more young people to complete their Arts Award by exploring the possibilities of digital arts and technology.

Top tip from Crafts Council Learning Coordinator, Sara Brouwer:

Make sure you induct young people properly to the health and safety issues around using digital technology. For example, be really careful about temperature control when using digital printing pens and printers, as young people could easily burn themselves.

Arts Award digital fact file:

3D printing is the process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process an object is created by laying down many layers of material until the entire object is created. Almost anything is possible! Here’s a handy video to help explain the process and the impact on the arts.

Laser cutting is a type of manufacturing that cuts a digital design file into a piece of sheet material. A computer directs a high-power laser at the material. The material then melts, burns or vaporizes leaving an edge with a high-quality finish. Results can range hugely from laser cut jewellery to fabric.

CNC milling is a form of computer numerical controlled (CNC) machining. Milling is a machining process similar to both drilling and cutting, and able to achieve many of the functions performed by cutting and drilling machines. High precision detail can be created from wood, metal and other materials.

MozFest – what you need to know:

MozFest is a digital festival hosted by the Mozilla Foundation taking place in London on 29 and 30 October where Arts Award will be hosting the digital arts and culture space. We’re inviting you to get involved by attending the event with young people, or by taking the inspiration from our fringe activities to shape your own digital arts delivery for Arts Award.

MozFest youth tickets are £3 (under 18s) and educators go free. Tickets provide access on both days as well as lunch, drinks and a goodie bag. Group tickets can be booked through this link. Schools and youth organisations that need assistance with ticket costs can contact festival@mozilla.org - remember to state that you are an Arts Award centre in your email.

For further information about attending MozFest, contact julie.neville@trinitycollege.co.uk