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ReDesign by the Sea
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A Co-Design project exploring Vintage by the Sea, featured at The London Design Fair
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Date
March to May 2019
Location
Morecambe
Partner
A project between Deco Publique and Laura Wareing, a PhD Candidate with Doctoral Programme, Transformation North West
Collaborators
The students and teachers of Morecambe Bay Academy
With thanks to
Gemma Potter, PhD Student at Manchester Metropolitan University Veronica Pialorsi, PhD Student at Salford University
Jemma Street, PhD Student at Liverpool University Professor Paul Rodgers, ImaginationLancaster, Lancaster University Professor Nick Dunn, ImaginationLancaster, Lancaster University Phil Watson, Morecambe Bay Academy
Project Highlight
Featuring at the The London Fair - “The projects selected traverse disciplinary, methodological, geographical, and conceptual boundaries. The projects illustrate wide-ranging social, cultural, and economic impact and highlight the significant roles that UK-based Design researchers play in some of the most complex and challenging issues we face both in the UK and globally and the positive outcomes that are being designed and developed”.
Redesign by the Sea is a collaboration between Laura Wareing, a PhD researcher at Lancaster University and Deco Publique. Through the collaboration with Laura, and Transformation North West, we used co-design practices to engage with a group of young people from Morecambe Bay Academy.
Our motivation for the project centred on our ambition to better connect with the needs and creative interests of the age group in relation to the Vintage by the Sea festival, and the cultural offer more broadly in Morecambe.
The project involved a series of creative workshops where a group of young people aged 16 to 17 living and going to school in Morecambe, had the opportunity to be ‘Festival Co-Designers’. They worked alongside Deco Publique and PhD students from Transformation North West to give their views and redesign elements of the major, annual Vintage by the Sea Festival.
The project also aimed to deliver benefits to the young people taking part, as well as their teachers. Participants had the opportunity to learn about creative careers, as well as develop creative, business and collaboration skills, voice their opinion, design new ideas and play an active role in innovative place-making practice in Morecambe.
ReDesign by the Sea was selected to be part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Design Research for Change 2019 Showcase at The London Design Fair at Old Truman Brewery.
Read more about the project in Laura Wareing’s guest journal here.
Download the full research report here.
Through the co-design sessions, we discovered that to make festival programming more relevant to the group they would like to see more digital interventions, food experiences, sporting activities and for the festival to be spread over a larger footprint. The group developed new festival proposals which will enhance our ability to shape the future programme, it also provided them with a unique creative experience.
We noticed that through using the co-design tools designed by Laura, the group became more deeply engaged in the process, with some remarking that whilst they had originally thought they were ‘not creative’ they felt empowered to make creative choices and build their own visions, responding particularly well to the bespoke design tools and workshop structure.
Co-design session one, Morecambe Bay Academy
The aim was to engage with the young people and encourage them to express their views on Morecambe, including what they do and do not like about the town and their views on the Vintage by the Sea Festival. We also familiarised the group with what Deco Publique do as a business, as well as how and why in order to provide background and career guidance and inspiration. Laura designed six bespoke activities and ‘design tools’ from postcard style tools, review sheets inspired by Trip Advisor to large maps.
Co-design session two, Imagination Lancaster
The overall aim was to design a conceptual new programme of activities for Vintage by the Sea. It built upon what we discussed as a group in the first workshop, looking at the insights gathered and the existing Vintage by the Sea festival.
The pupils worked in small teams to image three to four original festival activities. The group were successful at imagining the use of existing features of Morecambe, such as the local park, old theatre, local businesses and football club. A cinema experience that took place in the local park where they liked to hang-out, with vintage features like cars and snacks was a popular aspect of two of the groups ideas.
Photography by Laura Wareing and Elena Gifford
Festival Co-Designers Feedback
“It was interesting, fun and better than school. Got to be involved in a project which influences Morecambe.”
“It was fun, interesting, creative and entertaining. I was able to share some of my ideas.”
“It was fun, useful and something new - creating new ideas, teamwork to share ideas.”
“It made me think about creative work, future jobs differently. It interests me and is something I want to do in the future”
“I’m inspired to be more creative with my ideas. It allowed me ideas to be explored with others.”