Monthly Archives: March 2021

Easter Break 2021: ‘B.15 Moulding and Casting 101’ Short-course

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*******************THIS COURSE IS NOW FULLY SUBSCRIBED***************************

Dear MSA Students

We’re pleased to bring to you an open-ended short course in moulding and casting basics. This course is designed to let you take part in the process of basic relief casting over 3 practical stages from home, and in person at B.15 when safe to do so.

Due to the current restrictions and widespread locations of you all we are offering the course in a blended format, part remotely and part completed in person when circumstances allow. With this in mind we are asking those who are interested to fill out their details to apply to take part.

The course will start on 12th April 2021 with an introduction and guest lecture followed by a series of drop-in sessions. These will include a CPD with Jesmonite, zoom drop-in’s and pre-booked controlled workshop access either during the two week course delivery time or later when you are able to be in the city.

Students will learn how to carry out the following: 

  • Design a relief form suitable for block-moulding using silicone. 
  • Design formwork for a one-use block-mould using greyboard.  
  • Mix and pour Silicone.  
  • Mix and pour a casting medium (Plaster, Jesmonite, Concrete or all 3). 

The course is open to MSA BA, MArch and MA A+U Students and is limited in capacity so sign up soon to avoid disappointment.

*******************THIS COURSE IS NOW FULLY SUBSCRIBED***************************

The course is free although some materials/tool purchases may be required for home working, individual circumstance pending. Full details will be provided after your application is complete.

Your application will be reviewed and if necessary we’ll be in touch to clarify your situation before offering you a place.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Scott & Saul

Upcoming Easter Break Opening Times

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Hi all,

Just a quick message about opening times in the coming weeks. B.15 will be open for booked access until March 31st.

There will be no access between 1st and 11th April when the workshop will be closed.

Controlled access will resume from April 12th where all access will take place via the tutorial request process as has become the norm this year.

Look forward to hearing from you soon, Scott & Saul

 

 

‘Why Do We Make Models?’ Provocations 12 with Liz Hallam and Roz Barr

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****** Update: The full presentations/discussion can be viewed online here – Look for Provocation 12 on the video feed: https://mmutube.mmu.ac.uk/playlist/dedicated/1_chgu2yyl/1_j1anpveo ******
Scott will be joining the discussion for MSA Provocations 12 on March 18th 2021. Full release below:
Provocation 12 : 
 
Why Do We Make Models?
 
Scott Miller of the B.15 Modelmaking Workshop and Ray Lucas (Head of Humanities) will be co-discussants, framing a discussion between our two speakers:
 
​​Liz Hallam is Associate Professor in Visual, Material & Museum Anthropology and Fellow of St Peter’s College, Oxford. Hallam’s work focuses on the anthropology of the body and three-dimensional models, especially in medical education.
​
Hallam’s work examines three-dimensional models of human anatomy, c.1850 to the present, especially in terms of their design, making and use in medical education. This focuses on the social relations of models, their changing materials and forms, how they are created and disseminated, and the kinds of knowledge they generate. I have explored some these of issues as a guest curator of the exhibition Designing Bodies: Models of Human Anatomy from 1945 to Now, at the Royal College of Surgeons of England (2015-16, funded by the RCS and the Henry Moore Foundation), and in a co-edited book Medical Museums: Past, Present, Future (with Sam Alberti), which brings together work by curators, researchers, and photographers in Europe and the USA.
 
Roz Barr is Director and founder of Roz Barr Architects, a London based architectural studio with a commitment to the careful crafting of architectural solutions through a process of making. We are dedicated to producing high-quality and inventive designs – not as a means of producing architectural ‘statements’ as such, but through a belief that the ability to produce innovative and beautiful work emerges from the interplay between content, context, and a sensitivity towards client requirements.
 
An in-house workshop allows us to create hand crafted models and other three dimensional material throughout the design process to explore our design ambition and demonstrate our thinking. We are a design-led practice, and we enjoy this process – a fact that is conveyed in the rigorous level of detail and research invested in all of our projects.
 
​Our two discussants are:
 
Scott Miller is a technician at the B.15 Modelmaking Workshop at MSA. He has worked as a freelance modelmaker on architectural, commercial and display models and in exhibition design & construction. Miller’s interests lie in the preservation, theory and promotion of modelmaking in design education. 
 
Ray Lucas is Head of Humanities at MSA and is interested in the means by which architectural knowledge is produced; whilst most of this research is into architectural drawing, he is working on a chapter for Liz Hallam’s forthcoming book 3D Modelling with Scott Miller & Jim Backhouse as co-authors.
 
As always, we shall convene between 17.15 and 18.30 on Thursday evening. 
​
 
Recordings of past Provocations are available at:
 
 
We look forward to seeing you there.
 
Kindest regards,
 
The Provocations team
****** Update: The full presentations/discussion can be viewed online here – Look for Provocation 12 on the video feed: https://mmutube.mmu.ac.uk/playlist/dedicated/1_chgu2yyl/1_j1anpveo ******

B.15 Access Update

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Hi All,

We please to relay that we are now in a position to allow MSA Students who have projects that require specific use of the workshop, in-person access to B.15 from Monday 15th March.

As before all students wanting to make a model should get in touch to discuss their requirements via the tutorial request form. You will then be allocated a time slot to talk through your ideas and only if required, a time to attend the workshop.

Covid-safe precautions are in place and the agreed procedures mean that only those with specific need can access the space with consent of the technical staff.

For all students in Manchester or elsewhere, the conversation starts here so please get in touch and we’ll do our best to help you out whatever your circumstances are!

Hope to hear from you soon, Scott & Saul

Submit your questions for Artist David Umemoto

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We’re excited to present an opportunity to put your questions to concrete casting artist David Umemoto for a pre-recorded video interview to be released via our blog exclusively for MSA staff and students.

David’s work immediately draws our mind to brutalist architecture of the 20th century but it goes much further taking inspiration from ancient cave dwellings, monuments and the changing forms of space represented through both positive and negative volume. How are these forms developed, where does he start with a project and in turn creating such complex formwork for casting? Whatever you’re curiosity about this work, be it the process or inspiration, David has kindly agreed to take some time to answer your questions in a pre-recorded interview.

Take advantage of this great opportunity to understand more about this captivating form of spatial representation. You can find more of David’s work on his website here and via his Instagram account here.

Submit your questions here by the end of Friday March 12th.

These will then be delivered in a privately recorded video interview before being made available to staff and students on our blog soon after.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Scott and Saul