For the project 2BE! Eemsdelta redesign Gert Valkema (ROEG HOLT) introduces students from Delfzijl to ‘making’. They are going to make cool things from discarded furniture. During a few workshops Gert teaches them how to repair, sand and degrease old chairs and then give them a new life. Old wooden folding chairs are pimped into an Eemsdelta redesign collection!
Starry sky
During the first workshop, the young people set to work with a mood board with images and words from their own environment. At first, they indicated that they didn’t like anything in their region, but soon beautiful images appeared on their mobile phones. For example, the starry sky that is clearly visible in that region emerged as inspiration. The mood boards will be made tangible on the chairs in the coming weeks.
Hidden talents
The supervisors found it interesting to see how the initially tense faces became more and more calm when they started drawing, cutting and designing. A supervisor said: ‘How nice to see them so calmly. I see talents that have been hidden until now.’
Course for students who get stuck
House of Design has been approached by Sport4connect to add ‘making’ with sustainable materials to the course they offer to students who get stuck at school. They organize a course with various workshops to let the young people work on themselves, learn to work in a team and especially to gain more self-confidence. These are all steps to then continue with the training or to go to work. We asked designer Gert Valkema to give several workshops about making.