Ethical Making @ Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design
Despite studying and working during a global pandemic, students and educators at Scotland’s art colleges persevered to transform their living spaces into inventive workspaces and classrooms. We are thrilled to see both the exciting and innovative work they have produced over the past year and a half and the continued passion of students and educators to incorporate ethical making into their studies.
We have been catching up with our Ethical Making Student Ambassadors from Scotland’s art colleges to learn more about how they and their colleges have adapted and incorporated sustainable practices into their workshops, jewellery making and silversmithing over the past year.
We spoke with Amy Peoples, Ethical Making Student Ambassador at DJCAD about what ethical making means to them and the changes that have been made at DJCAD this past year toward sustainable and ethical making.
What changes has your college made this year to be more sustainable/responsible?
Our department has been using a citric acid pickle for some time.
DJCAD Tecnician, Teena Mitchel added the following changes:
The L3 casting project this year was done with all recycled silver grain and the trees and sprues from the previous casts were used in each casting.
Alternative patination workshops are run alongside our usual patination workshop, so the students are given a full overview off all techniques.
Saltwater etching was set up in the printmaking department, but they were only able to support L4 students wanting to use it, we will be setting up our own for this coming year so hopefully more available to all our year groups.
There are copper, brass and other metal scrap buckets in the workshop for all students to use. The students are encouraged to have their own silver scrap pots.
Melting down and recycling scrap is usually shown to any student that needs to do it but we are intending to introduce this as workshop. I`ve just received a very small electric melting furnace which will allow our students to melt scrap easily and safely.
DJCAD are in the process of setting up a materials reuse hub which will allow students from all areas to access a huge variety of materials for recycling or reusing. As a department we will be supplying some of our scrap materials for other students from all departments to use this in turn will hopefully give a better understanding as to where our materials come from and the importance of reusing.
What changes have you made in your own practice? And or what changes have some of your classmates made in their practices?
I and several others in my class use:
Tea towels instead of blue roll.
Safety pickles or a combination of citrus juices - I have found that heating concentrated lemon juice in a mug works well.
Aim to use eco/recycled metals, collect all scraps and reuse.
What would you like to see happen next year in your college regarding ethical making, or across the education of jewellery generally?
Having a lecture that remind people of the importance of sustainability within workshop practices – also hosting a lecture/workshop with the General Foundation students before they choose their specialties.
Setting up a permanent salt-water etching tank within the workshop.
Aiming to use bio-resin when teaching resin workshops.
Having a set of silicone measuring cups for anyone to use whilst using resin.
Encouraging the make-space to use more bio-degradable filaments.
Having a larger quantity of eco/recycled precious metals in the safe.
Setting up metal dust/shaving bins in the workshop.
Hosting a chemical waste lecture and showing the effects on environment of the chemicals commonly used in the workshop.
Having a class on how to melt scraps into bars.
How have you found being an ethical making ambassador?
Personally, I have found it very intriguing to hear what other universities/colleges throughout Scotland are doing to encourage sustainability.
What is the most impactful thing you have learned this year that you will take into your future studies/career?
How to productively communicate with people that I’ve never met face-to-face via online meeting platforms.
Thank you to the DJCAD Ethical Making Student Ambassador, Amy Peoples and the DJCAD Jewellery Technician, Lee Mitchel for providing the information for this blog.
Read more about the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust’s Ethical Making Programme which includes the Ethical Making Pledge work with the Scottish art colleges.