Photograph of a hand wrapped partially in material reaching up through some water. 

Waterthreads, Karoline von Igel, 2024 MA Regenerative Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL

University of the Arts London

UAL Showcase Collections

Planetary People

A regenerative design project that promotes collaboration and innovation at the intersection of community engagement and social-ecological governance.<a href="https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/579362/cover">The Symbiotic Neighbourhood - Hannah Ogahara - UAL Showcase</a> “There isn’t a thing about this project that I don’t love. It nails it!  The interaction and interdependence of human beings with animals and ecosystems is a fundamental thing we should appreciate.  I feel like this project connects with so many ideas around, from One Planet Living to Smart Cities and is something my community would buy into. I’ve already invited The Symbiotic Neighbourhood to do a workshop for us!” – Sarah Elie, Executive Director of Somers Town Community Association, member of London Doughnut Economy Coalition

The Symbiotic Neighbourhood

 a tapestry drawing that illustrates a community-led food system

Architectural investigation into food insecurity in London, exploring the development of an alternative food system to bring food justice for marginalised communities in the city.“Food insecurity is something we talk about a lot at STCA. We are against food banks in principle because they only respond to an immediate need, not the deeper issues. Common Table represents an alternative to food banks and, interestingly, it is looking at Somers Town. I love the visuals here, especially the tapestry. With my practical hat on, I’d wonder about the cost, because premises can be quite expensive. I like the concept, though, and I don’t think it would have to necessarily be building-based as it evolved.”   – Sarah Elie, Executive Director of Somers Town Community Association, member of London Doughnut Economy Coalition

Common Table

Tamy's clothing repair shop. Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Documentary film exploring how clothing repair shops in Buenos Aires City, Argentina foster community and contribute to sustainable behaviours among individuals.“Textiles is one of the biggest contributors to waste. This project is particularly relevant to low-income communities like ours in Somers Town. In some ways, repair is just what we do. You might ask your auntie to fix something for you without thinking. But at the same time, fast fashion is the norm. The ideas behind Buenos Aires City (OF REPAIR) could apply in my neighbourhood, starting conversations around how we can use repair, upcycling, vintage clothing to shift our consumptive behaviours.”  – Sarah Elie, Executive Director of Somers Town Community Association, member of London Doughnut Economy Coalition

Buenos Aires City (OF REPAIR)

A person interacts with colourful poster stands, looking at written responses on posters.

Social design lab for identifying, designing, and constructing trust-building social infrastructure for neighbourhoods, to develop shared narratives in the face of climate stress. This project is a collaboration between <a href="https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/@corbinlamont">Corbin La Mont</a> and <a href="https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/@cgerhardt">Christopher Gerhardt</a>.“The ‘street labs’ model put forward in this project is a good one for engagement. In any community, if someone is out there on the street doing a stall, people will come over and chat – especially if you have some biscuits and a cuppa for them! But FRUITS: A Social Design Lab uses that opener to ask them about their environment. You’re having a conversation with people about things that affect them. It’s a similar approach to STCA.” – Sarah Elie, Executive Director of Somers Town Community Association, member of London Doughnut Economy Coalition

FRUITS: A Social Design Lab

Collage of 3 mobiles showing onboarding screens of the Playfully Circular platform. The collage also includes photos of children with toys. 

Service that reduces toy industry waste by connecting families with charity shops and toy libraries through a digital platform. “Playfully Circular to me is like a ‘library of things’ – similar to <a href="https://littlevillagehq.org/">Little Village</a>, a London-based network of baby banks but with toys for older children. I’d love to know more about the practicalities of how the service would work. These things can be difficult logistically as you need to fundraise and find space for storage. But there is a huge issue around how people see the items they own, the way that when they’re in a cupboard they’re ‘out of sight, out of mind’ and that needs to be challenged by projects like Playfully Circular.” – Sarah Elie, Executive Director of Somers Town Community Association, member of London Doughnut Economy Coalition

Playfully Circular

Maison/0 Green Trail 2024

Regenerative design project that examines the ethics of care, multi-species kinship and future commoning communities by utilising speculative storytelling of localised future food systems.“This is a project that might challenge some people, as it did me. Obviously how we eat is culturally dependent. There are some in the Global North who might balk at the idea of eating jellyfish, rather than the usual chicken burger or bacon sandwich, which is hypocritical. Visually, it’s fun and it touches on important themes of biodiversity.”  – Sarah Elie, Executive Director of Somers Town Community Association, member of London Doughnut Economy Coalition

Commoning with The Good Companions

community members build kerbside haitat together

Community-driven modular set, designed to transform unused kerbside spaces into flourishing pocket forests.“Bio Mosaic is an interesting project with a strong concept. On a practical level, I think its success hinges on community ownership. It would work well situated close to a community space such as a church or tenants&#39; and residents&#39; association so that it’s cared for, as the risk with installing planters like these is that they get stolen, vandalised or misused. Done right, this ‘pocket forest’ will increase biodiversity and capture carbon.”  – Sarah Elie, Executive Director of Somers Town Community Association, member of London Doughnut Economy Coalition

Bio Mosaic

Architectural drawing of a forest school community hub across multiple buildings.

Thames Chase Community Forest, a transformative 9842-hectare endeavour spearheaded by the Thames Chase Trust and Forestry England. At its centre, this project imagines an inventive forest school model meticulously tackling contemporary food insecurity in London.“I liked this project. The Forest Tithe Barn has multiple strands, bringing people together, reducing loneliness, encouraging biodiversity and care for the land. My 6-year-old grandson loves Forest School activities like these. The concept and the terminology gave me a sense that this was something that could be done. I wondered about the potential cost of setting this up and whether a version of it could be trialed in a ‘meanwhile space’?”   – Sarah Elie, Executive Director of Somers Town Community Association, member of London Doughnut Economy Coalition

The Forest Tithe Barn

Graphic image with some buildings against a blue background and the words 'power in your hands'.

Collaborative design project that works with Southwark citizens to design a future city with open, shared spaces powered by community renewable energy. “Power in Your Hands links with what we are doing at STCA. When we started working on sustainability, we thought, how will this speak to people? We realised it was through that idea of ‘power in your hands’. It explores consumptive behaviour subtly, without smacking you round the head with it. You can’t tell people that they’re going to have to give things up, you need to show them what they stand to gain. And this project does that.” – Sarah Elie, Executive Director of Somers Town Community Association, member of London Doughnut Economy Coalition

Power in Your Hands

Poster: Water threats- A documentation of textile waste collected from Bali's Mangroves

Campaign to restore Bali&#39;s waters that addresses textile waste via community engagement, awareness raising and a direct repurposing of fossil-derived fabrics into a &#39;clean-on-the-go&#39; bag.“London is an international city. For many people, ‘back home’ is also home. Waterthreads is a great example of raising an issue that is uncomfortable but needs to be addressed. And it does that in a positive way, offering us something we can do to make a difference, not simply making the issue someone else’s responsibility. Water is an emotive subject, too, important both in terms of everyday human need and across cultures and religions.” – Sarah Elie, Executive Director of Somers Town Community Association, member of London Doughnut Economy Coalition

Waterthreads

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