Okay, cool. So as Kyle kind of filled you in, on what I'm doing Reg,
we've already conducted a consent formula, we read the brief that was at the start, okay, but you want to give us a little more of an explanation of your project.
I'm doing my master's. I'm in the last three months, four months, three months. And I'm basically looking at, I'm obviously a very community based designer. And I always have been, all of my projects are graphic design, they all have been community based as well. But when I obviously after moving back from Falmouth, I've really tried to focus on my local area, and my community at home. And like what I could be able to do as a designer, from that perspective. And for my final Master's project, I've decided to focus on Southampton as a community. So I'm looking at the City of Culture bed, which obviously has been going through the past couple months, for 2025. And so Hampton is apart like one of the final runner, runner ups or whatever, we don't know the final result. So I'm kind of looking at so Hampton wants to win the bid? How can I bring the creatives to the forefront of the city. And one of the ways that I want to do that is by like, creating this mass collaboration, and the mass collaboration. Basically, I'm at the moment, I'm in the middle of interviewing, which is perfect by mentoring you guys, by basically going around a lot of likes, and Hanson and creatives having a conversation about like, where they get their inspirations from, what Southampton means to them, like, basically just have a conversation about where they live and breathe, which has been really interesting. But at the end of it, I kind of want to create something that would be like landmarks across the city. So this could be like sculptural, I don't really know how I see it being at the moment. But I know that I want it to be physical. And I want it to be a conversation. I want it to be like a point of networking. And yeah, I just want, I want it to be there. Because I feel like it added up in Sandton, I described it at the beginning of my project as a really dull grey city, mainly because of the air pollution, but everything else. Yeah, I just think it's really like Dell. And as part of this use of culture bed, they're trying to bring artists at the forefront. They've already started doing it with a lot of like, like the other word, but they basically do like bursaries and stuff, like competitions. They're already starting to do it. But they're mainly focusing on one graphic designer called Nathan. And he's an illustrator. So he's been employed to like, basically just cover anything with like his art, which is great. But that's only one artist as compared to like the 1000s that are in Sandton. And I just kind of want to give them a platform to have a voice. So yeah, that's kind of what I want to do, which would lead me to create a cultural identity for the city, which then use that as well. Southampton just be recognised as a bit more creative, rather than just being this tall, grey tile place here as a moment. Yeah, basically, I want to do, I'm, as I said, I'm in the interview stages at the moment. And I kind of wanted to talk to you guys just about like, obviously, I want to create something that's like physical, obviously want it to be sustainable not affect the environment. And I want to push the creatives into doing something their like reaction or their like collaboration, but it's completely up to them. But I want to make sure that they're doing it like as sustainable as possible. But also thinking more about like sculpture, rather than like something that's kind of like 2d, because a lot of the artists I'm dealing with are painters, and that there's one sculpture passed. And I think that the rest of them are kind of very flat. So yeah, I just think that yeah, a conversation on that weekend.
Okay. I think a good, a good. A good way to to attack that whole thing that you said about it, about Southampton being like somewhat grey and dark would be to bring wood? Well, I just think that fits really well with the idea of bringing something environmentally friendly in something physical, like something natural. That comes there's not that doesn't fit in with the city. Because it's not made of concrete or it's not made of brick, it's made of a natural material. That could be you know, it's gonna it's gonna help suck carbon out of the environment or something like that. Yeah.
Yeah. It's interesting that you say the point of not affecting the environment. There's loads of things in urban design at the moment that sort of are about regenerative design and about improving the environment and taking conscious steps to improve it. And you bring up the topic of air quality. There's a studio called Eco logic studio And one of the things that they do is they have created a couple of large open structures with algae reactors in them. So it's their main most recent one being sort of a playground for children that has these algae reactors on the outside that cleans the air as it filters through. I don't know whether or not that's helpful, but there's certainly lots of things that you could, things that you could do that benefit the environment. So for example, lots of cities for, I guess it, it makes more sense for hotter cities, but lots of hotter cities have been using titanium dioxide paint, in order to get this really bright white paint on the buildings and keep them cooler in the summer. And so that has a sustainability benefit of reducing reliance on things like air conditioning, and active energy solutions, whether or not that works well with the sort of people who work more in 2d, where there's something larger scale, that's both a bit of sculpture or art that then also serves a function. Whether or not that's worth it. Same for things like Carl was talking about potentially having something living neighbourhoods that have trees in it are warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer. They provide a great amount of stability to local environments.
I think I'm sorry,
no, please go ahead. I was I was drifting off running out,
I think. Not not having something that I think having something that a sculpture that isn't, that doesn't just not have an effect on the environment. But having a sculpture that does have a positive effect on the environment, would in itself be a talking point for collaboration in his inner city. And if it's an area where people can maybe sit or other now something that draws people in to a conversation, physically, physically, physically draws them in? So they see it, I think, what's that, oh, well, they go there to meet other people who have also like minded to that maybe
interacting with whatever the sculpture is, rather than having to sort of actively kind of think about going up and using it or interacting with it.
Face value, the sort of sustainability of sculptures is easy, just about end of life really. For a long time, and it's not what happens all the time, they get auctioned off for charity, and people buy on personal just having a house with sculptures. So realistically, you're gonna have to last a long time, a lot of sculptures and yellow of concrete sculptures and stuff, which isn't exactly great, because it's quite carbon intensive. But there was one, what comes to my mind about you saying, you're working on 2d, sort of designers painted stuff. And I was a kid accepted this thing called the gorilla trail. I think it was,
yeah, I've done one as well called the elephant trail as well. But it only lasted like two months, or similar thing. That's the kind of the line that I was thinking of, and Amsterdam, obviously that the light trail, which they do in the canals as well. But like I was having conversations, there's a lot of like, artists, organisations that are having conversations with and one of the main things that they said that they it needs to be it needs to be more than just for the year. It needs to go past this 2025 bed this needs to be something that started just keep moving calm, just 100 and see there is creative by people here because at the moment there is nothing.
I mean, amazing to do something similar to what was that failed. It was an example of that weird urban garden that was made in London.
Oh, there was a bridge by Thomas Heatherwick the green garden bridge that was supposed to go across the Thames that didn't go through because of the cost skyrocketed.
No, I didn't know that. It was it was something else. It was weird like garden urban garden installation thing that was just hideous and ugly. And it's been taken down since I called and I'll try and find out what it is. But something like that, I guess you could do that. Obviously, if it's having like, Flora around it that obviously they'll obviously take carbon it will look better. It'll be like nature to the surroundings and it could be like an interactive sort of installation that could be more of a permanent fixture. And then around that you could have like just a cover them around the city perhaps that different artists sort of display Mine changed depending on on their style, really, I'm trying to find what
Yeah, cuz that's what the original plan, it still is to have like the to like kind of list the key landmarks that within the city, but then I was having conversations yesterday which again, every single conversation I have, like throws me a different direction. But I didn't really take into consideration that Samsung is such like a maritime city. And I need to kind of include the waterfront as well. But the aim, the original plan was to list like 10 different landmarks, that then the artists could respond to each of those landmarks, and then by those landmarks, there will be the artists response. So then it becomes then it could become a trail of talking points
as as something that's localised, I guess, sculptures potentially give the opportunity for you to use local materials. I don't know what sort of ones there are in the vicinity of Hampton, but whether where they're sort of putting a limit on you can't use anything from further than five miles away. Whether or not that would produce any interesting results
might might also kind of strengthen if we're talking about the identity of the city you might be like, feed into that quite nicely as well as being just kind of more sustainable environmentally.
Why also southampton are known for other than being brand dreary, and maritime.
Yeah, I really don't first of all our time, obviously, Titanic, I feel like it's known for. I mean, it's just a very commercialised, like corporate place. It's really known for finance, apparently. Okay. Not really looking for anything creative.
Potential there, but it's that's what it's known as Central.
I found what it is. It was called the Marble Arch mound.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. 25
metre up in chat. Huge scaffold turfed monstrosity that was only there for six months, cost 25 million pounds. It was just it was a lovely concert. But it was awful. people hated it.
Yeah. It was a very
uncomfortable on a much more tasteful small scale. Because it's huge. It's actually ginormous.
Lots of design festivals, there's been a lot of pavilions made from actually just a temporary forest that people have inhabited an area with whether or not there's something about creating a different environment within the environment of Southampton. But then it's what what scale you have to do and move around with and play with
it cost 6 million pounds
Yeah, I think there's a lot of space to like do like temporary like installations and environments like that. So
I'm trying to make it more permanent and all the show because all these sort of things always seem to be but only lasted six months.
And they cost 6 million pounds. That's like a million pound a month. For like it really nice if you could do something that's a bit more
like like a trail of lights or go on a trail or elephant trail style thing. But having something that's obviously a bit more environmentally beneficial, and socially beneficial as well. People can interact with and it can teach people things will be amazing. Yeah, obviously is really nice to have things that you can look at. And they look pretty nice and it really pretty. If it's something that people can interact with. My kids can learn things with,
it'd be. Yeah, it's getting that participatory element, isn't it? That sort of makes it I know, acre per acre. Apparently restoring seagrass is supposed to take in more a considerable amount more carbon dioxide than the actual dent than forest. So I do wonder if there could be something done that was done with that in in a sculpture that helps people engage with that rewilding process, reintroducing seagrass into that harbour, whether it's some sort of pier structure that people can go along and use to use to engage with it or even a semi submerged thing where people are able to see the bed of the river and sort of these environments. See? And if there's a way that could relate to getting people to come along to take part in looking after it and that stewardship, maybe that would be an idea.
Yeah, I like that.
Unless I have a question is, is the project first of all, is the project are you going to be doing any of the sculpture designing yourself? Or is the idea that you outsource that the other artists get that? Other artists and designers that?
So I'm not expected for anyone to be able to collaborate with me. Okay, so my lecture has basically told me that, I mean, I've had some people mad reply to my message, but I'm not enough that I want. So basically, he said that this is all on you.
So you're gonna be doing a sculpture. You're gonna be doing? Yeah,
I'll be I'll be back. So one of the artists will be responding. Okay, just because our house we're going to test ideas other than on myself. Sure. And then, yeah, I'm kind of not really sure. I'm a bit slacking for time because I'm a procrastinator. But if it does go to plan, then I will like obviously finish it all. It'll be like a nice little thing. Or if it doesn't, then I'm going to turn on its head. And because my degree is intrapreneurship I'll turn it into a business plan. Okay, then I'll collaborate with the council.
Okay, cool. My second question then is, is because there are two different ways we can go with this with like, the sustainable advice we can is do you want advice on how to design sustainably designer sculpture? Or do you want advice on how to or ideas on sculptures that invite people to learn about sustainability? That makes sense I'm not sure if
studying do you're seeing product design or sustainability consulting I guess
both like whatever you guys want to do
okay, there's no question we'll do both we can have more conversations in the future maybe the sustainable design can be I knew I wouldn't want to say and then it went well. Jelly when they came out of my mouth
you guys can be involved as much as you want this is just like I guess I feel like I'm doing majority of my degree online. Along the timer don't get to talk to people that are like same had it as
a final product to be fair.
Yeah. It's pretty long though. Like being on your own for nine months. having absolutely no deadlines. already. Yeah, it's a bit I got a bit lost.
It's like you need you need a sculpture. That is also a studio space where you can go collaborate with other designers. It's also made of a local tree. And it's a tree that's grown over and there's desks inside of it.
Tree House
Big Tree House made a tree that's local to Southampton. I did great.
What what are the landmarks that have currently been brought up for?
So you want me to send you a website? Yeah. Okay
Okay, so these awards are listed the best on TripAdvisor what ash what I've been going on because yeah, these
and, and also when you've been speaking with creatives, which have you detected any themes and what in them talking about the identity of Southampton?
Yeah, so a lot of them have gone back to like, obviously, like the walls, the war maritime as well. The water everyone really likes being close to the water. And they're kind of like key themes at the moment. But then I've only really spoken to like older creatives, I haven't really spoken to like graduates yet. So they're like different groups that are a part of like the different organisations. So yeah, I'm yet to talk to like graduates. So I think it'd be interesting to see the contrast between like the graduates and people that have basically spent their whole lives here. Okay.
always seems to be all tuna related. Well, that's a lot actually. It was like old historical building landmarks instead of like, areas in the city, which I sort of first imagined. Yeah. Well, it would be based on depends how far away are these things
are? I don't really know. I kind of wanted to make them so that it was like, walkable, you know? Yeah, like, didn't want to make it so that you had to like get in your car or drive electric scooter and was around to eat. Yeah. Does that makes sense to me?
How many you looking at making?
I'm aiming for 1010? Yeah.
And are you looking to propose you're looking to propose these with the aim of making them rather than making anything for the actual degree?
Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of hard to do it. I mean, there's no like financial or anything to be able to do it. I would love to be great. But yeah, I mean, maybe, as I might in talks with a lot of like graphic designers, you know, so you never know.
Could you make a could you commission a boat as a creative commons thing. So it's an area where people can have small exhibitions for artists that you can go out on the river to do things like rewilding efforts, or you can use to take up to the sort of, like the rivers coming off it and engage with the environment there and use it as an education platform as well. And so take advantage of the fact that you've got this entire network of things on water. I don't know whether or not that would be like grab it, grab it. Dosanjh
in the marine, there's two things in Yeah. I just go in on the water.
Lighting barge garden.
Oh, that's cool.
Just throw Yeah, throw words together, just
as the tree house spoke.
Yeah, a series of boats with full trees growing out of them. Surely a tree grows full full. Fuck off tree.
200 year old oak. Yeah, you might
need to get started now on the Oak Grove.
Obviously aim to have what the sort of binds? Obviously, the the award is just city of culture, right?
Yeah. And then they got, obviously they got money. As they're like, I love that.
So does this, do these structures have to relate to the sense of cultural rewards?
So it basically would just be like, I'm basically saying that my research question is basically saying, if if we got the money, what can I do to the city? To make it like more creative? Yeah, because I probably
shared spaces. Yeah.
And the conversations I've already had with people was just proven that there's no collaboration between like organisational studios. There's no collaboration between any of the artists that don't have bursaries that don't have students. And so often, there's no even collaboration between different art galleries, which is crazy because they're next door to each other. There's just so many things that I'm like, if I was in Falmouth, like, I feel like it would just be Yeah. Have you
do so? Why would you say? Have you asked them? Why they don't collaborate? Well, this
Well, exactly. That's the thing. I said, like, why haven't you? Is that like a particular reason? And they said that yeah, they just, they just don't they just keep in their separate lanes. I think they've tried to, but it just hasn't ever worked out. People have one of them. A lot of them are run by like Council versus non council. So like city as a non city, really? So I think that yeah, it's really difficult is I think it's so sad because I have an example of it is that the city of sands an art gallery. When I was younger, I used to go there do art workshops, like once a week, and they completely demolished all of the workshop spaces and they've turned it into like the like access library which is obviously great because more books, but it's like they've changed the whole layout of it. And it's like less about art and more about like books and stuff. It's kind of like cutting, like the whole, like availability for people that come. And I just think that at the time like that would be that was one of the spaces where you'd meet other artists, other creatives, other people that are interested in doing that thing. And now they just got rid of it. So it just seems like there's certain things it's hard to do. And you're just like, why? It just seemed like you're making it worse yourself.
You have to monetize or collaboration be quite cool. Just like, if you invite pen, could you try and get like, nine, per se and nine different designers, artists from different disciplines on the trail, to sort of showcase and then be interactive to sort of like showcase their disciplines, and how they sort of do an on a sort of 10 final grand one, and like, massive collaborative. Final structure piece that just sort of shows all the collaboration between the different disciplines of artists design,
then the the the kind of space itself is then used for collaboration. Is that what you're saying?
We're just, we're just going to share, like, it'd be nice, you're saying in my how well, there's not nice, no uncover expert. It's nice that people want to, and they'd be really nice to show that it's doable. It's in our highlights, the creatives in the city, and that actually is a thing and to sort of make people more aware of it.
Yeah, I think yeah, I think that's a great idea. I think, as I said, like the map thing, like if it took you through a map and then like a sale, then it would end up at a final one. Yeah, everyone's making bought in. Yeah, I think that's a great idea. And then, yeah, cuz then it could be placed in somewhere like, the City Art Gallery. Yeah. Which would then take people more people to the place. Yeah. I love the idea.
While we are here, do you have any more information you want to get out of us? Or?
thermal power plant? Yeah.
Larry, can you just doing some weird research background about Southampton?
Yeah, it's weird. The Monash one. I don't know which one they demolish, but they demolish one recently. Okay.
Did you take that? Could you get the counsellor to offer each space on the map each place? Could you get them to run a creative workshop? In each one. And in each one, they produce a different element to produce a final piece, either collaboratively or four or together? Like, I don't know, it goes towards a big sculpture or at the end or what goes towards something they get to take home. Yeah, but each each discipline takes you through the city learning a different creative process.
About the power ranges, and they can Yeah, together to make a big robot.
Yeah, that's exactly that's.
Yeah. Yeah, that's good. I think that maybe like, I mean, the artists that are taking part could always run the workshops.
Yeah. We're just gonna trial and stuff they, some artists did find some of the girl has bled to other schools and stuff and got the sort of community involved in actually making the design,
which is quite nice. And they obviously got auctioned off at the end. And we got to see more of a permanent structure to the sort of styles.
These complex wasn't always they never seem to last long. No, it would be nice to have something a bit of a permanent feature of a city
you know, completely Yeah, the whole workshop thing. Again, to my interview that IGSA she said that when the bed was started having discussions for the bed, every culture organisation within the city had to submit to creative ideas to what they want to see kind of produced at the end. And the company that I was speaking to they said that they suggested the workshops, and they suggested like a massive Festival, which really weird also happens to be happening like my neighbouring city, Winchester. So, yeah, apparently that got denied. So I don't know what their plans are, but it's not. So yeah, it's really interesting like hearing about, like, I never really knew the process of how like organisations were involved in the city of culture bed. But that gave me a real insight into basically the counsellors just hadn't picked certain people and be like, Yeah, this is it, really. And then they kind of like disbanded the set of culture like group that they had before the bed even took place like before they submitted. They've disbanded that now because they said that they already had all the information and all the projects that they needed. So what they're doing
