TimberFestival and MADFest

This research was commissioned by Wild Rumpus for Timber Festival to investigate into the impact of environmental challenges on young people, and the role of design education in placemaking and the important role of people.

The resulting installation for Timber Festival was playful and creative. It shed light on the importance of nature connected design to share information and educate others on the climate crisis. We were delighted to gift some of the young people and their families with tickets to join us at S.H.E.D to see their work and experience a festival, which brought new audiences to Timber Festival, whilst offering fun for all the family.

Over 300 Year 8 pupils from Littleover Community School worked with academics from the University of Derby to create artwork and designs that were exhibited with S.H.E.D at Timber Festival in the National Forest. The workshops were delivered as part of an annual event called MADfest, held by the school’s Creative Arts Faculty, that encourages young people to explore social justice issues such as climate change, through the mediums of Music, Art and Drama (MAD) to address the relationship between creative careers, community, and society.

Recycling bins, donated by Derby City Council, were upcycled by the students with fun and creative designs to encourage members of the public to recycle. Students also took part in a session on astrophotography, creating photographic images of the night sky using Photoshop, whilst discussing the effects of light pollution. Works created by the pupils at MADfest were then curated and showcased via S.H.E.D at the Timber Festival, which had an audience of over 5,000 in attendance. The installation featured podcasts, research data, design ideation and QR codes to take audiences to a range of videos about MADfest and S.H.E.D.