hiCraft: the rest bit
hiCraft: the rest bit
2022
Commissioned Maker
hiCraft is a Northumbria University research project led by Justin Marshall which seeks to investigate how we can define and foster a healthy relationship between people, the internet of things through the ethos of craft. In 2022 - as a commissioned maker - I took a process-led approach over a period of 6 months, to explore themes of care, individual and collective making, data exchange, trust, embroidery and respite. I produced a series of drawings, embroidery samples and a 4 meter diagram which mapping questions and reflections across the commission process.
A series of illustrated blogs contextualised my thinking and practice and be viewed in this PDF. They cover:
Why this research is important in relation to the uneven distribution of tech and the exploitation of our data
Notions of care and care giving, and the role of making in respite activities
Coding language and its translation into making
Fitness tracker consistency and the inconsistent human
The rest bit: Gifting data and creative collaboration.
Key to my commission was a collaboration with Dr Jayne Wallace. Through exchanging fitness tracker data and supplementary information in the form of photographs and handwritten notes, we individually created something from each other’s data. I also used my own data as a way of testing ideas and approaches and focused on embriodery for its ability to facilitate respite.
You can read more about the project and all the commissioned explorations here: https://hicraftnorthumbria.org/