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Furniture Workshop

The aim of this workshop was to introduce the kids to basic carpentry skills and show them possible applications. We had some very simple hand tools available: a few hammers, handsaws and pliers. To start off, we foraged the school grounds for materials to use. We found a lot of spare wooden boards, sheet metal and old furniture. Some of the broken benches were deemed salvable, others were broken down for their parts.

   

Conveying good working etiquette was a key element at this point. A lot of the wood had sharp edges or rusty metal pieces in it and some kids had never used these tools before. It was definitively challenging to coordinate so many kids and ensure that they were all working safely. Using the found pieces, we practised how to remove nails effectively, how to achieve the most force and accuracy when using the hammer and how to best hold a piece of wood when cutting it. Old nails were pulled out of the boards and faulty areas sawed off to create usable material.

   

The next challenge was using these new components to re-enforce and repair the run-down benches and desks around the school. The original construction of the furniture could be used as a guideline, making it a good exercise for understanding how to build something stable. The kids showed much ingenuity and intuition in fixing and improving the existing structures.

   

Based on these first experiences, we started to construct designs from scratch and taking on bigger projects. One example were two stepladders to be used in a theatre project. Furthermore, we patched together a sun shelter for the Love School yard using thick timber poles and scraps of corrugated iron. Especially these larger-scale endeavours required the kids to communicate and work together.

       

Plastics – Team ALPHA & EAGLES

Through this project we wanted to have a deeper look on plastics and its possibilities.

When we started the project we thought of a solutions to solve the problem of pollution.

Well, thats not gonna happen in just 6 month.

Using a classical up-cycling approach we wanted to create things from existing plastic shapes by reassembling them. Soon I realized that possibilities for creativity are narrow and almost exploited to an end.

In order to give the children more challenging tasks and input,  Anna Drewes and I decided to join forces. From than on we concentrated on the process of melting the plastic so that we could achieve  greater freedom for design.

During the Experimental Phase Team Eagles and Alpha worked together. At the end  of the  process stands TANURI.

A oven that can melt and press Bottle Caps in order to create new material.

As we saw the necessity for improvment in roof constructions in the Love School, our plan was to use the material create tiles for roofing that last longer than the metal and can also be used as a quick fix for existing metal constructions.

HOUSE OF IDEAS

The hut, for the Nairobi slum schools, is one of the ideas for our project-work in Nairobi. It is supposed to bring people together for an exchange of ideas, experience and fun. We want to learn from our friends in Nairobi and use knowledge of both cultures to create an open Workspace. This space could be used for workshops or little celebrations.