Eileen Blackmore is the founder of House of Design, an organization that designs systems for change by stimulating the circular manufacturing industry. For example: from plastic soup to vegetable soup— in other words, from fossil-based to bio-based. By making design, collaboration, and entrepreneurship visible and tangible, House of Design helps to initiate new economic and social movements. One of these initiatives is Wad van Waarde: a movement in which House of Design, together with partners, reintroduced the cultivation of flax to Friesland and Groningen and rebuilt a local value chain—from soil to linen textile products, including the cascading of residual flows into applications such as building materials.

Because we have outsourced the extraction of raw materials and the production of goods to other continents for many years, production processes have largely disappeared from our view. We increasingly know less about what products are made of and what their true impact and value are. Now that circular thinking and practices are gaining traction, the need is also growing to organize knowledge about repair, refurbish, and recycle closer to home. But this starts with a simple question: what exactly is “stuff”? And what happens to materials when they wear out, are used, or are processed—for ourselves and our environment?

In this workshop, Eileen takes you into the hidden world behind materials and provides practical, hands-on tips to help you take steps towards more conscious making, using, and choosing.
Location: in front of the Barn