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Research Cluster 6 places importance on the utilisation of materials and the examination of design processes above and beyond practicality. We encourage design and making within a critical framework that challenges the boundary between art and architecture. This year we turned to the craft of making artwork for design ideas and production inspiration. Art fabrication is not a new phenomenon but has evolved over time, reflecting changes in artistic practices, technological advancements and cultural values. Making art is a vital part of the design and architectural world, enabling architects to realise ambitious and complex formal projects that push the boundaries of not only what we build but also how we build. The technological advancements of the 19th and 20th centuries allowed artists to explore new material systems and construction methods. The distinction between artist and craftsman continued to blur as artists began to collaborate with industry experts to create works using techniques like metal casting and glassblowing. How can architecture based on techniques of art production play a role in design experiments? How can craft grow from personal artmaking to a collective and spatial construct? Is it just a shift of scales, both physical and conceptual? Our year started with a visit to Castle Fine Arts Foundry in Oswestry, Shropshire, a bronze casting foundry founded by sculptor Chris Butler over 30 years ago. The visit allowed students to witness the large-scale casting of metal and the architecture of sculpture making: the creation of wax copies, scaling of models, shelling of moulds, pouring of metal and finally the finishing of metal patina. This year our projects have included research into future air quality in relation to activated carbon
composite, concrete rubble as a building material, bronze casting with burnt-out natural fibre and a rethinking of papier-mâché using clay slip. The projects have sought to transform methods of production for artwork into construction details and building components.