Repair Acts, Godolphin House, Cornwall (2018).

Repair Acts International Workshop 3, Mapping Repair, Penyrn
14.10.2019 - 15.10.2019

Established in 2018, Repair Acts initially took the form of three of three network meetings and workshops with partners in Bristol, New Delhi and Bristol and New Delhi (March 2018 hosted by School of Art and Design and Digital Cultures Research Centre, Bristol and Toxics Link, New Delhi) and Penryn (October 2018 hosted by University of Exeter’s Environment and Sustainability Institute). With a closing one-day symposium and month long exhibition at Bristol’s centre for sustainability CREATE in March 2019.

The programme brought together local, national and international guests working on topics relating to repair, care and maintenance cultures. Broadly these cultures focus on applied, artistic, scholarly and civic practices, which deal with the care, upkeep, maintenance and reuse of objects, materials, buildings, systems and processes.

The programme was initially funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), UK under the Network grant scheme and led by Professor of City Futures, Teresa Dillon in collaboration within Professor Caitlin DeSilvey, Professor of Cultural Geography, Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn and Toxics Link, India.

Repair Acts, Penryn Workshop. Image credit Teresa Dillon

The final part of our 2018 workshop series focused on the craft aspects of our CECE – Critical, Essential, Craft and Economic – axes. Site visits to Godolphin House opened the first day, with stone mason and sculptor David Paton providing an overview of the repairs which had taken place on the site. This was followed by Caitlin DeSilvey’s overview of Mullion Harbour’s battle with the sea and a discussion of how its identity as working harbor, and later as a heritage site, influenced the forms of repair and restoration which have taken place. Returning to our working lexicon (practice, theory and application) the group discussed how the linkages between all three in relation to heritage sites.

The second day focused on repair, reuse and sustainable fashion with talks from Clare Saunders and Anjia Barbieri on their ‘Designing a Sensibility for Sustainable Clothing‘ project. This was followed by Alison Harper and Sarah Chave providing a tactile guide through various forms of wool processing, as participants held and worked untreated wool with their hands.

Agenda
18 October: 09.30-17.00


9.00 : Gather at ESI, Tea/coffee
09.30 : Welcome and introductions
10.30-15.00 : Site visits to Godolphin House and Mullion Harbour
15.30-17.00 : Activity 7: Collective mapping repair, heritage and craft

19 Oct: 09.00-15.00

09.00 : Tea/coffee
09.30-10.00 : Review and synthesise
10.00-12.00 : Activity 8: Materialism and mending workshop with Alison Harper, Sarah Chave, Clare Saunders and Anjia Barbieri
12.00-13.00 : Lunch
13.30-15.00 : Feedback, next steps and close

Workshop participants: Alison Harper, Alma Clavin, Anjia Barbieri, Caitlin DeSilvey, Carmela Pietrangelo, Christoph Woiwode, Clare Saunders, David Paton, Sarah Chave, Steve Bond, Teresa Dillon, Peter Haswell and Stefano Pascucci.