UK: iAtelier open call for makers, designers and digital technologists

iAtelier: Technology & Innovative Practice

Deadline: 8 March 2021

The Crafts Council in partnership with STEAMhouse are looking for 20 participants to take part in iAtelier, a Creative Europe funded programme that aims to bring digital and craft makers together to share skills and knowledge and collaborate to develop new products and projects. iAtelier is part of the international partnership project Crafting Europe.

Who is it for?

Makers, designers and digital technologists based in England, Wales or Scotland.

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 based in England will have the opportunity to become a STEAMhouse member.

Who can apply:

We are looking for 20 participants who are based in England, Wales or Scotland 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.
• 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 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. 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

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.

Applicants must be based and eligible to work in England, Wales or Scotland for the full period of the iAtelier programme (April 2021 – 2022).

How to apply:

Please read all the supporting information before completing an application by midnight (GMT) Monday 8 March 2021.

To submit your application you will need to create an account on our online application system where you can complete the application form and upload the following files:

• A link to your website and/or social media
• A copy of your CV (max 2 sides of A4 as a Word or PDF document)
• A portfolio with up to four examples of recent projects with high quality images and descriptions (project / page as a PDF document)

We also accept video/audio files as an alternative to text-based documents and applications that have been written or spoken by someone else on the applicant’s behalf.

Applicants should also complete the anonymous Equal Opportunities Monitoring form.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact: innovation@craftscouncil.org.uk

Participant commitments:

Selected 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

Selection panel

Applications will be reviewed by Ruth Claxton, creative director STEAMhouse and Alma Daskalaki, innovation manager Crafts Council.

We are aiming to notify all selected participants by the end of March 2021.