Digitally fabricated signs designed by local creatives in a workshop led by Plymouth College of Art’s Smart Citizens Programme have been installed in wildflower meadows across Plymouth, celebrating and protecting these important areas of urban re-wilding. Co-hosted by Plymouth City Council’s Green Minds project, who are leading a number of re-wilding activities across Plymouth, the workshop supported participants to combine new computer aided design (CAD) skills with their creative talents to design nature-inspired signs. The signs were then laser cut at Fab Lab Plymouth and installed in 24 locations around the city.

During the workshop, students, young people and members of local businesses developed new skills in digital design, learning about the process of laser cutting and how to use the 2D design software, ‘Inkscape’. Drawing inspiration from nature for their designs, participants created fun drawings and messages to raise public awareness about Plymouth’s wildflower meadows and their importance. Far from un-mown grass, the re-wilded meadows planted by Green Minds are vital to support the biodiversity of the city, create new habitats for wildlife and inspire local citizens to connect with nature.

Wildflower meadow sign designed by Eve Newman, first-year UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma Art & Design student at Plymouth College of Art (Photo credit - Ray Goodwin)

Participant Lauren Williams, a first-year UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art & Design student at Plymouth College of Art, draws inspiration from mental health and the natural environment for her artistic practice. Reflecting on the workshop, Lauren said, “I had a particular interest in this workshop because it brought together art and the environment, creating a way to raise awareness of the importance of wildflower meadows.

“I enjoyed the process of collaborating with like-minded people, learning a new digital skill through an easy-to-follow tutorial and communicating ideas with my peers. With the knowledge that our work would go towards educating people on the importance of wildflower meadows for bees, butterflies and other beneficial wildlife, without which our pollinators face a dire future, I knew this would be an amazing project to be a part of.

“If we can all take a step towards making choices that benefit the planet, the wildlife and animals that live on it, then we will move towards a better future - start by checking out Green Minds Plymouth for ways on doing just that!”

Lauren Williams with her wildflower meadow sign (Photo credit - Paul Williams)

Local projects collaborate to protect nature

The creation of the wildflower signs marks an ongoing collaboration between the Smart Citizens Programme and Green Minds project, utilising the innovative digital resources at Fab Lab Plymouth and supporting digital skills development in the city to protect Plymouth’s green spaces and reveal hidden nature in the city.

Councillor Patrick Nicholson, Deputy Leader of Plymouth City Council, said, “It has been great to work alongside local projects to create these fun signs and show people how beautiful and important these wildflower meadows are - not just for people, but for wildlife, too.

“Each wildflower meadow provides a home for so many plants and insects and now we can share this message with communities across Plymouth”

Since their installation, the wildflower meadow signs have been received with enthusiasm by members of the public, demonstrating a clear engagement with Green Minds’ re-wilding aims. Following this public support, a further 60 signs have been commissioned by Plymouth City Council, which will be laser cut at Fab Lab Plymouth and installed in new locations around the city in Spring 2022.

Wildflower meadow sign designed by Genevieve Stewart, second-year BA (Hons) Printed Textile Design & Surface Pattern student at Plymouth College of Art (Photo credit - Ray Goodwin)

Championing sustainable design skills

This workshop joins a number of ‘Nature and Conservation’ themed workshops hosted by the Smart Citizens Programme, which support participants to digitally design and fabricate objects that will benefit wildlife and the environment. Previous events allowed participants to create laser-cut bird houses and assemble Smart Citizen Kit sensors to collect and monitor important environmental data around Plymouth.

In addition to supporting participants to create environmentally-friendly objects, the Smart Citizen Programme also encourages makers to create in more sustainable ways. Connecting local citizens, students, entrepreneurs and businesses with new skills in digital design and fabrication, the programme champions sustainable techniques that are digitally enabled, increasingly local and reduce waste and pollution following the circular economy principles. When designing their signs, participants were introduced to laser cutting, a process that produces minimal waste material.

Bethan Price-Nicholls with her wildflower meadow sign (Photo credit - Ray Goodwin)

Bethan Price-Nicholls, a student who recently completed her first year in BA (Hons) Illustration at Plymouth College of Art, said: “I love experimenting with new materials and media. While taking part in the workshop I learnt about the laser cutting process, which I had never seen up close before.

“Laser cutting gives a completely different feel to other mediums that I have used in the past. I found the whole workshop to be an eye opener and it was a vital experience for my creative practice, teaching me that there are still many ways in which I can develop and learn. It has also welcomed me to the possibility of expanding my creative practice and really getting out of my comfort zone to try more new things.”

This activity is part of the iMayflower project and has been supported by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who fund the Cultural Development Fund, which is administered by Arts Council England.

Italy’s pioneering specialists in 3D printing, WASP (World’s Advanced Saving Project), discussed the latest advances in 3D printing eco-homes at the Smart Citizens Programme’s Sustainable Design Talk, hosted online by Plymouth College of Art’s Smart Citizens Programme and Making Futures Research Group. Members of WASP, who were recently showcased in the World Economic Forum, discussed their new TECLA clay house; the first and unique fully 3D-printed construction based on natural materials and made with multiple 3D printers operating at the same time.

TECLA 3D printed clay house (photo credit - WASP & ​​Mario Cucinella Architects)

The international talk was attended by over fifty representatives from Plymouth-based businesses, as well as students and academics from around the world. Several local participants had also engaged with a number of Smart Citizens projects to date, demonstrating a clear drive within the city to learn more about sustainable design-thinking and innovative approaches to digital design and fabrication.

Lapo Naldoni, building engineer at WASP, led the talk which began by exploring how WASP are tackling housing inequality and the unviable consumption of natural resources through innovative and sustainable 3D printing construction processes, such as their TECLA house (standing for technology and clay). Engineered by WASP and designed by Mario Cucinella Architects, TECLA presents a new circular model of housing: entirely created with reusable and recyclable materials, sourced from local soil, carbon-neutral and adaptable to any climate and context. Through the lens of this project, Lapo discussed how the value of local clay can be amplified by digital design, revolutionising our understanding of sustainable housing.

Massimo Moretti, WASP founder, left and Mario Cucinella, architect, right (Photo Credit - WASP & ​​Mario Cucinella Architects)

The talk continued by exploring other projects led by WASP, using their 3D printing capabilities to support innovative design across sectors and disciplines. These projects included: creating orthopedic body braces for medical use, custom face masks, 3D printing with recycled polypropylene as well as working with artists to create public sculpture and installation art.

Dr Kim Bagley, Lecturer and MA Subject Tutor at Plymouth College of Art, attended the talk. Alongside her own ceramic practice, Kim is currently working on the British Council-funded Craft Futures South Caucasus project, exploring how knowledge is transferred between generations in the rich craft practices of that region and developing vocational education in these countries. Kim is also a member of the Making Futures Research Group and the Making Futures Fellow.

Reflecting on the talk, Kim said, “This was an informative talk on an emerging area of digital technology; it was an absolute pleasure to hear from a true expert in this field. He was generous with his knowledge and experience and the audience was clearly inspired.

“This talk gave me enthusiasm and ideas that I look forward to sharing with my students. As a ceramics lecturer and practitioner it was particularly pertinent to be able to share the true versatility of clay with students.

“It was great to see that one of the young researchers I am working with in the South Caucasus attended the talk too, demonstrating their engagement with global trends. I could not help but imagine the use of WASP’s technology in different locales.”

Left: Orthopedic corsets 3D printed in polypropylene by WASP (photo credit - WASP)

Right: 3D printed vase by WASP and Andrea Salvatori (photo credit - WASP)

Plymouth College of Art and WASP in collaboration

Further collaborative opportunities have developed from this talk. WASP, the Smart Citizens Programme and the Making Futures Research Group have begun discussions for a collaborative and student-led research project, exploring ways of 3D printing using local soil and clay from Devon and Cornwall. With a shared impetus towards sustainable design using digital fabrication methods and use of local material, this research will link WASP’s innovative technology with Plymouth, the UK’s first Fab City. As a Fab City, Plymouth aims to produce all the energy, food and products they consume, and to deploy spiral economy strategies for the relocalisation of production, and the technological empowerment of citizens by 2054.

TECLA 3D printed clay house (photo credit - WASP & ​​Mario Cucinella Architects)

The talk was also aligned with Plymouth College of Art’s sustainability agenda supported internally by the ongoing research of its Making Futures Research Group; a collective of Plymouth College of Art’s staff and students across art and design courses focused on understanding the impact of new material technologies on the College’s curriculum and creative practices in contemporary culture.

Starting in autumn 2021, Plymouth College of Art’s curriculum will include a focus on place-based creative pedagogy, which has led the Making Futures Research Group to develop two research projects linking aesthetics, making and geography. The first project, ‘Signature Materialities’, is developing a locally-resourced materials library informed by the history and mineral profile of the southwest coastal region to be used by students in materials-led courses such as BA (Hons) Craft and Material Practices. The second project, ‘Digital Clay’, is focused on analogue-to-digital distributed design methods using clay for 3D printing.

“The WASP talk by Lapo Naldoni on using clay native to his region in Italy was a real inspiration as we shape our intention to bring digital clay and cultural ideas around place together within a global context”, said Stephanie Owens, Head of School, School of Arts + Media and Convener of the Making Futures Research Group who is leading the two projects. “We are eager to continue to work with Lapo and his collaborators at WASP on how we can join together to explore forms of sustainable co-creation across our countries”.

Access a recording of ‘WASP: 3D Printing Eco-Homes Using Local Clay’, on the Smart Citizen’s video channel, alongside other workshops and talks.

This activity is part of the iMayflower project and has been supported by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who fund the Cultural Development Fund, which is administered by Arts Council England.

Projects and communities from Plymouth and the South West of England joined together at the latest Smart Citizens Community Meet-Up, to explore how innovative technology can support nature and conservation. Co-hosted by Plymouth College of Art-led Smart Citizens Programme and Plymouth City Council-led Green Minds project, the online event also featured guest speakers from Pollenize CIC and Art and Energy CIC. Over thirty people, including students and representatives of local businesses, came together as a community to discuss how digital technology and creativity can offer new solutions to protecting Plymouth’s wildlife and environment.

Participants were invited to share their own projects and ideas, leading to thought-provoking discussions ranging from the use of digital fabrication methods to create environmental public artwork and creating ultrasonic sensors to track bat activity, to using Plymouth’s new 360° immersive dome at Market Hall to visualise environmental data captured by sensors around the city.

University of Plymouth’s Environmental Park Sensor Installed in Plymouth (Photo credit - University of Plymouth)

Participant Chloe Georgakis recently started a collaborative project, working towards creating immersive art installations that use Augmented Reality technology to allow people to understand the wonders and benefits of seagrass and to celebrate the restoration of this vital habitat in Plymouth.

Reflecting on her experience at the Meet-Up, Chloe said, “I came looking to connect with other local creatives and draw inspiration. I found both of these things. There are some really interesting projects growing here, inspired by nature and driven by curiosity.

“I found out about the Art and Energy collective because they spoke at the Community Meet-Up session. A few weeks ago we attended a practical workshop that they hosted about creating solar powered artworks, in collaboration with the Smart Citizens Programme. Solar energy is vital to seagrass, as it's a photosynthesising plant that captures CO2. We think that there is an interesting connection there and hope to keep in touch.”

Meet-Up Participant, Chloe Georgakis

“The Smart Citizens team are a very supportive bunch. If you have a budding idea, the sooner you share it, the more likely it is to go beyond your head or your sketchbook and actually grow into something.

“My work partner is currently undertaking their ‘Design and Make: Part 2’ training and using this time to prototype our installation models. We plan to embrace digital fabrication processes to make our installations and utilise the technology available in the Fab Lab.”

Innovative tech and art-based solutions from local initiatives

At the most recent Smart Citizens Community Meet-Up, Eli Zahoui, Project Manager of the Smart Citizens Programme, shared how 2D fabrication methods such as laser cutting have been used during their free workshops to create bird houses and creative signs to raise awareness about wildflower meadows around Plymouth that have been planted by Green Minds participants. Eli was joined by Lee Nutbean, an electronics and coding expert, who is currently delivering another Smart Citizens training programme about creating Smart Citizen Kit sensors to collect and monitor important environmental data around Plymouth.

Laser Cut Birdhouse made in Smart Citizens Workshop

Representatives from Green Minds, a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) programme-funded project, shared their aims to rewild Plymouth and inspire a new wave of citywide investment in nature-based solutions. They were joined by project partners from the University of Plymouth who, alongside technology experts from The Data Place, have installed a network of sensors across the city collecting information such as wildlife activity, species sightings, air quality and more. Through technology, Green Minds aim to reveal Plymouth’s hidden nature and provide an educational tool to inspire communities to take action for nature.

Guest speakers from Pollenize CIC and Art and Energy CIC shared how they are combining technology and creativity in their efforts to protect the environment. Jenny Ayrton, Director of Art and Energy and Plymouth College of Art alumni, discussed the ‘Moths to a Flame’ project which aims to make 20,000 moths and record messages about the Climate Emergency for a public art installation at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26).

Owen Finnie, Co-Director and Founder of Pollenize, discussed how Pollenize have placed bee hives around Plymouth, working with local scientists from the University of Plymouth to conduct DNA analysis on the pollen residue. Using the bees as biosensors, Pollenize identify gaps within the foraging radius of the beehive and use this data to inform their rewilding seed packets, available to purchase by the local community.

Speakers and participants joined together in an interactive activity which prompted them to share and discuss both small and ‘big-thinking’ ideas about how community, creativity and technology could protect local nature and wildlife. Exciting connections and opportunities for collaboration appeared throughout these discussions between projects and participants, including combining the Smart Citizen sensors with those from the University of Plymouth, the Data Place and other organisations in the city to create a citywide data platform capturing environmental data.

Access a recording of the ‘Community Meet-Up: Nature & Tech’, on the Smart Citizen’s video channel, alongside other workshops and talks. To join the conversation and connect with like-minded people, come and have a chat on the Smart Citizens Community Meet-Ups Slack channel!

Community Meet-Up interactive activity

Smart Citizens’ Community Meet-Ups

The Smart Citizens Programme hosts regular Community Meet-Ups, joining up technology with one of the programme’s themes, such as: Fab City, art and creativity, health and wellbeing, experimental manufacturing, and more. Open to everyone, these free events offer the chance to join new conversations, connect with local people and initiatives, and discover opportunities in and around Plymouth.

The Smart Citizens first Community Meet-Up took place on 10 February 2021, focussing on plastic and technology. During the Meet-Up, participants had the opportunity to share their ideas and hear from projects around the city tackling plastic pollution through innovative solutions, including: Preventing Plastic Pollution, Precious Plastic Plymouth and Tavistock, 1000 Tyres Project and Plastiki.

The Smart Citizens Programme aims to continue connecting local initiatives, communities and entrepreneurs to encourage collaborative working and support innovative design thinking across the city.

Hear about future Smart Citizens events and opportunities by signing up to the Smart Citizens Newsletter and visiting their website.

Learn more about Green Minds by visiting their website, and get involved in their summer programme of events.

This event is part of the iMayflower project and has been supported by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who fund the Cultural Development Fund, which is administered by Arts Council England.