May - November 2024
We welcome design studio RESOLVE Collective as the first residents of our new 6-month residency that was chosen through an open call. It gives us an opportunity to connect with the local community. The space will help further research, physical making and public engagement.
RESOLVE Collective combines architecture, engineering, technology and art to address social challenges. They see design as a mechanism for political and socio-economic change. Their work includes:
- architecture and urban design projects
- exhibitions
- workshops
- publications
- community support.
It aims to provide platforms for producing new knowledge and ideas. An integral part of this way of working means designing with, and for, young people and under-represented groups in society.
RESOLVE Collective has a deep history of collaboration with groups in Camberwell, Peckham and South-East London. This also includes personal history from directors growing up in South London and having an emotional connection to the area.
About the Material Store
Across 6 months, Camberwell Space will be transformed into the Material Store. This is a major material experiment and salvage laboratory that has been tested in other projects across the country.
The experiment is centred around local communities that RESOLVE Collective has collaborated with for years across the UK. Many of these communities struggle with structural barriers to accessing art, design, and creative spaces due to with longstanding issues related to class, race, and gender.
The space is open access - a community focused factory floor for the collection, storage, reuse and redistribution of salvaged materials.
This is a bold redesign of the infrastructures that distribute resources to people. It focuses on repurposing industry-specific waste creatively to support design education and promote local action and creative networks.
The Material Store will provide the following services for the local community, UAL students and staff:
Salvaging
RESOLVE Collective will be salvaging and restoring waste materials from:
- UAL campuses
- local galleries or makerspaces
- small-scale demolition sites.
These will be stored and on open display in Camberwell Space.
Storing and categorising
Stored and displayed materials will inform:
- a digital index
- tagging system that provides ‘material passports’ for the salvaged objects
- material-specific supplementary information
- self-help tutorials to support DIY interventions by local community groups or individuals.
Redistributing
Throughout the residency, materials will be freely available to take for reuse. The residency will prioritise local residents and community groups.