This sixteen-day interdisciplinary seminar is for artists, designers, and educators interested in participating in critical discourse and hands-on workshops on the subject of unsustainable global production and waste disposal practices. The course, among other things, will focus on the effect of Western fast-fashion waste streams on Ghana’s people and environment. Our goal is that participants are inspired in their personal practice to envision a different future, one in which sustainability is a guiding value in the production and proliferation of goods. To that end, we welcome an interdisciplinary community of artists, thinkers, and doers.
Participants will experiment with combining waste with other resources, including natural fibers. We will visit landfills and interact with people processing the waste from overflowing second-hand clothing markets. We will source materials from Kantamanto, the world’s largest informal second-hand clothing market. We will visit a non-profit recycling incubator, The Or Foundation, to discuss their research and source shredded clothing, or “shoddy”, made with their homemade shredder. We will bring these experiences and materials back to the Institute for a series of seminars, studio workshops, films, and free time for personal projects and critiques.
Participants will have the opportunity to work with highly skilled, professional crafts-people, environmentalists, cultural practitioners, and guest designers, including, Bubu Ogisi creative director of the contemporary women’s wear brand IAMISIGO, and Rafael Kouto, a Fashion and Textile Designer, Upcycling Researcher and Creative Director of the RK Brand. Participants will be immersed in local traditions, with workshops exploring African weaving, batik, sewing (incorporating waste fabrics), and more. Studios, include: fashion studios, glass studio, batik studio, silkscreen studio, woodwork studio, metal work studio, and tools at the Institute for furniture design, textile work, recycled glass, and education material production.
Renée C. Neblett, Director of Kokrobitey Institute, will facilitate an ongoing multi-disciplinary seminar, exploring how our sustainability values impact our relationship to social, political, and economic development. These forums will include guests from across the arts, business, and waste management sectors. All participants will participate in individual and group presentations to share their material explorations, insights, discoveries, and reflections.
ACTIVITIES:
Orientation
Sustainability Seminar
Workshop(s):
Exploring waste as material for product development
Weaving, Sewing, and Crocheting with recycled and natural fibers
Batiking
Silk Screen Printing
Field Trip to Accra’s Kantamanto Market, Landfill, and Recycling Centre
Field Trip to the Kakum National Rain Forest
Films, Critical Discourse, and Open Studio Time
Project Planning
Plants/Herbal Uses Seminar
Field Trip to Tamale Weaving sites
Field Trip to the Volta Region: Agbozume weaving village/Salt Pond
Final Presentation/Exhibition of individual material explorations from students
Films, Critical Discourse, and Open Studio Time (for experimentation and development of independent projects)
Opening/Panel Discussion
* The Institute Reserves to be flexible with the schedule made to respond to special events
Click on the Link Below to Register:
https://forms.gle/eS2Nj8Vm5m8iCLZG9
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