The Make Your Mark project took place over four sessions at KWMC The Factory in Summer 2023. United by their passion for nature and creativity, the group came together with the aim of making their mark on the new Springfield Community Allotments.
In first session, the group met at Springfield Community Allotments to explore what was currently there and what was needed to make the space feel more welcoming. The group identified four main things that were missing: signage, outdoor seating, habitats for wildlife, and planters. They then met with with the Springfield Community Allotments team to check whether they felt these were needed too.
The second session began with researching solutions and exploring how others have solved similar issues in the past. The group created physical miniatures (prototypes) of their ideas. This was a tangible way of seeing how an idea could work and how it could be made later using digital fabrication equipment at KWMC The Factory. They created prototypes of seating from cardboard which could later be created using wood on the CNC cutter. They also experimented with using flag material and lettering using scissors and vinyl, which could later be adapted to a vinyl cutter/heat press.
By session three, the most energy seemed to be going towards signage. Signage felt like the most achievable yet impactful issue to solve. It would reduce anxiety of those trying to find the allotments and it would provide a visual aid for those unable to hear, hugely improving the accessibility of the space.
Then the team began the final design! Using their knowledge digital fabrication equipment at KWMC The Factory, they designed signage and flags. The CNC machine was used to create the sign and the vinyl cutter and heat press to craft the flags. They decorated the signs and flags using imagery inspired by the Five Pathways to Nature Connectedness: contact, beauty, meaning, emotion and compassion.
During the final session, visual artist and muralist Aumairah Hassan joined the group to discuss ideas for her new mural on a shipping container in the allotments. She felt particularly inspired by the group’s research into the Five Pathways to Nature Connectedness; in particular, ‘meaning’ (using nature to represent an idea) and ‘beauty’ (engaging with the aesthetic qualities of nature). Linked to this, she created a ‘seed of life’ motif, which is a mandala inspired by sacred geometry found in nature. As people add more to it, it becomes the ‘flower of life’. The Make Your Mark group loved this idea and added this to the flags and signage too.
Aumairah previously completed our Future Makers course to learn digital fabrication skills. Since then, she is often found using The Factory’s laser cutter to prepare stencils for her murals. It was great to see her working together with the Make Your Mark group to design her new mural which complimented the flags and signage by incorporating similar colours, fonts and motifs.
Together the group celebrated their achievements over pizza at a small gathering at Springfield Community Allotments. They had planned to watch the balloons from Bristol Balloon Fiesta fly overhead. Although no balloons were spotted, it was a lovely way to soak up their achievements!
What’s next? There are already a few ideas bubbling. One of the team members, Oliver, said he would like to focus on making the space more accessible since he himself is a wheelchair user. He is now exploring this through our new Garden Lab Whispers Grow project. Other ideas include maps, seating, and more decorative pieces.
Thank you to the Springfield Community Allotment team for collaborating with us. Special thanks to those who joined our Make Your Mark team: Oliver Wood, Ruth Hennell, Frank Fennell, Mike Sweeney, Mike Miller, Heather Fry and Jasmine Tippett.
