The Value of Collaboration

Recently we’ve written about some interesting collaborations that have been started through Make Works including Risotto Studio’s collaboration with Turnberry Rug Works, and Scott Myles’ collaboration with a local soap manufacturer.

We’re big fans of collaborations. They’re a fantastic way to learn about new practices and work with new materials and processes. We hope that the Make Works platform enables more collaboration to happen by making finding a local maker and finding a factory simpler and more enjoyable.

Here are a couple of collaborations that we've been finding inspiring.

Beach London / Bompas & Parr

“Apocalyptic Air Fresheners is an exhibition of Air Fresheners depicting your favourite Apocalypse scenarios” along with apocalyptic scents ranging from Bananas and Rum to Smokey Meat. 

The contributing artists were Essy May, Stevie Gee, Rob Flowers, Pete Fowler, Adam Higton, Edward Carvalho Monaghan, Marcus Oakley, Tom Sewell and Emma Rios.

Beach London sits somewhere between being a gallery and an agency, referring to themselves as a ‘Creative Laboratory.’ They work on a project-by-project basis with fantastic illustrators, designers and more. Apocalyptic Air Fresheners was a collaboration between Beach London and Bompas & Parr. Bompas & Parr are a flavour-based experience design company lauded for their extraordinary food and drink pop ups and installations.

These are currently on exhibition at Beach London’s Gallery and you can also purchase them online here.

Monocle / Esk

This is a classic crew sweater made with Merino Wool, and is said to be ‘the perfect option when you want travel light – and in style.”

Monocle is a media company, famed for its glossy magazine covering all things lifestyle and jet set. In addition to their magazine, they have a radio station, publish city guides, and have a couple of IRL shops selling products produced through brand collaborations with big names along the lines of Comme des Garcons, Delvaux, Orlebar Brown … and our very own ESK. ESK is a manufacturer in Scotland that has been working in knitwear production for over 20 years as a family owned small knitwear factory. The brand recently brought in Creative Director, Lorraine Acornley (McClymont) who has previously designed knitwear for Alberta Ferretti, JOSEPH, Pringle of Scotland, Connolly and Albam over the last 16 years. "ESK aspire to be the knitwear destination for the discerning eye, a best kept secret passed on by friends."

You can check out ESK’s profile on Make Works here

The crew sweater can be purchased online here or in person if you happen to be in London, Tokyo, Paris, Toronto, New York, Singapore, Istanbul or Hong Kong.

Timorous Beasties / Nobody&Co.

Not to be confused by the classical styling, Scroll Table is certainly a modern take on a coffee table. This laser cut metal structure houses 18 metres of material, hidden away in concealed rollers. The idea is that rather than getting bored of the same old table top, or perhaps using various table cloths, you simply crank the large handle to transform the surface into one of the many hand-printed designs.

Timorous Beasties are a Glasgow-based Textile design studio, headed up by Alistair Mcauley and Paul Simmons. In addition to their range of now iconic textile prints and interior accessories, they work in collaboration with, and on commissions for a range of commercial clients (think Philip Treacy and Nike) , as well as cultural commissions for the likes of Penguin, the V&A and Chicago Art Institute. These Scroll Tables were produced in collaboration with Nobody&Co, a Milan-based furniture designer and maker ‘uniquely characterized by their playful association with thought and language.’

These can be purchased on Nobody&Co’s website

Gordon Young / Why Not Associates

The Comedy Carpet is a celebration of comedy on an extraordinary scale, including songs, jokes and catchphrases from over 1,000 comedians who have made their mark on the Blackpool comedy scene. The Comedy Carpet is 2,200 square meters including over 160,000 granite letters.

For anyone familiar with with Indesign you’ll no doubt be gobsmacked by the sheer scale of this Indesign document

Gordon Young is one of the UK’s leading artists working in Public Art. With regards to collaboration, Gordon says that he has a ‘collaborative approach to working and has built up over the years strong and fruitful relationships with a diverse range of people from architects, landscape architects, graphic designers and engineers to foresters, cyclists, librarians, climbers, ornithologists, historians and code breakers.’

Why Not Associates is a Graphic Design Consultancy working across identity, print and environmental design. They work with global brands including Nike, Virgin Records and the BBC, as well as locally based commissions such as The Comedy Carpet.

We heard Why Not Associates’ Andy Altmann speaking at Sheffield’s Made North conference in June in which he described the amazing story behind the production of The Comedy Carpet. Here’s a short video produced by Blackpool Council describing how this colossal design was manufactured. 

The Comedy Carpet is open to the public and is located on Blackpool promenade.

Check out our article, Anne McKenzie: part of Glasgow's East End Fabric, part of our series exploring women working in factories in Scotland