Who is it for?
Makers, designers and digital technologists.
What does it involve?
The programme involves online sessions and in-person workshops, over three stages:
Stage one: Introduction Series and Expert Talks (online, April-May 2021)
Series of online social events and talks on digital fabrication practices.
Stage two: Project Proposals (online, Summer-Autumn 2021)
Collaborative partnerships of two or more participants to pitch digital craft proposals. Five partnerships will be selected to move to the next stage.
Stage three: Maker Workshops (STEAMhouse Birmingham, early 2022)
A series of digital fabrication workshops at STEAMhouse in Birmingham for selected participants to develop their Project Proposals into conceptual prototypes. Selected proposals will receive £3000.
Participant fees and benefits:
- At the Project Proposal stage, each participant will be paid a stipend of €250 (£220). To be eligible the participants will need to have attended the Intro Series and Expert Talks
- All collaborative partnerships will receive mentorship towards the development of their proposals
- At the Maker Workshops stage, each of the five selected collaborative partnerships will receive a stipend of €3500 (£3000) access to facilities and equipment at STEAMhouse. Materials will be provided separately.
- Participants will have the opportunity to become a STEAMhouse member
Participant commitments:
Participants will be expected to:
- Attend and actively participate in the Intro Series and Expert Talks,
- Prepare a collaborative project proposal and compete to gain place in the Maker Workshops,
- If your Project Proposal is selected, you will be expected to travel to Birmingham to attend and participate to the Maker Workshops,
- Maker Workshop participants must create conceptual prototypes that can be exhibited publicly.
Applicants must be based and eligible to work in England, Scotland or Wales for the full period of the iAtelier programme (April 2021 – 2022).
Who can apply:
We are looking for 20 participants who are based in England, Scotland or Wales with either craft/making OR digital design background.
Applicants with craft/making background should:
- Be an emerging maker / maker/designer already in business with practical skills in any craft or design discipline. You may be self-taught, or may have completed a university or vocational course. We are imagining you will have established your business within the last 7 years, but understand that careers are not always this linear and acknowledge that makers ‘emerge’ and re-emerge at different stages of their careers (for example after a change in direction), so define this broadly.
- Be able to clearly articulate their interest in digital fabrication technologies – experience in digital design and digital fabrication is not necessary, but a curious attitude and ambition to experiment and innovate using new technologies is essential
Applicants with digital design background should:
- Be a recent graduate / an emerging designer / SME experienced in using digital drawing software (for example, but not limited to Adobe Illustrator, Autocad, Vectorworks, Rhino, Sketchup, Fusion etc). You may be self-taught, or may have completed a university or vocational course. We are imagining you will have established your business within the last 7 years, but understand that careers are not always this linear and acknowledge that practitioners ‘emerge’ and re-emerge at different stages of their careers (for example after a change in direction), so define this broadly.
- Have experience in digital fabrication, parametric software or computer coding software is not necessary but would be advantageous
- Clearly articulate their interest in craft and making – existing hands-on experience of craft/making is not necessary but interest in developing practical skills, exploring making methods and tools is essential.
Additionally, all successful applications should demonstrate the applicant’s ability to:
- Work collaboratively, be open in their approach, generous in exchanging information with peers and the project hosts,
- Present their work clearly and support the communication of the project activities,
- Act as advocates for the project, the partner organisations and the role of new technologies within the craft sector.
Selection Panel
Applications will be reviewed by Ruth Claxton, Creative Director STEAMhouse and Alma Daskalaki, Innovation Manager Crafts Council.
How to apply:
Please read all the supporting information before completing an application by midnight (GMT) Sunday 7 March 2021.
Visit the CRAFTS COUNCIL WEBSITE for full application information and a link to the online form.
We aspire to remove barriers and be open to all and strongly encourage applications from individuals currently underrepresented in the creative and cultural sectors. This includes but is not limited to people of African or Caribbean heritage; Arabic heritage; Latin American heritage; East Asian, South Asian and South East Asian heritage; people from traveller communities; disabled people; LGBTQIA+ people and people from a low-income background.
We are aiming to notify all selected participants by the end of March 2021.
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact: innovation@craftscouncil.org.uk
iAtelier is part of the international partnership Crafting Europe and is hosted in the UK by the Crafts Council and STEAMhouse/Birmingham City University
