Makers' lives in focus: Sheffield

A series of films and publication for Sheffield Design Week 2016

Introduction Sheffield Makers’ Lives in Focus is a collaboration between Jorge Martins (Information School, The University of Sheffield) and Patrick Murphy (Made North Gallery) that jointly explores the interplay of place and maker identity.

It draws on research conducted by Jorge Martins (2015-2016) on drivers of industrial rejuvenation in old industrial regions, funded by the UK Regional Studies Association. The city of Sheffield was one of the case studies in the project: industrialrejuvenation.org Emergent findings based on the analysis of in-depth interviews with manufacturing business owners in the Sheffield city region revealed that entrepreneurs are actively involved in the shaping of the city region’s occupational identities, and influence the development of distinctive institutional contexts. Concurrently entrepreneurs acknowledge the complex ways in which their identities are influenced by a variety of region-specific cultural processes, historical experiences and dominant values.

Our collaboration attempts to explore this relationship by means of conversation with makers and documentary, to capture how affinity to the city enables manufacturing business owners to create and shape a positive identity of place, combining it with entrepreneurial purpose.

The result is a collection of short documentaries that explore wider societal questions: How can creatives/designers and academics become more involved in developing ideas that put people and community at the heart of old industrial regions’ rejuvenation?

What would a city look like that empowers artists, academics, firms and communities to work together in developing urban futures?

Dr Jorge Tiago Martins Information School, The University of Sheffield

Contents Introduction 04 The interplay of place and maker identity 06 Documenting maker identities

The interplay of place and maker identity Narrative interviews undertaken with eight entrepreneurs in Sheffield have led me to examine how entrepreneurial identities are constructed in conjunction with placebased and locale-specific discourses, within Sheffield as an industrial city.

This implied considering entrepreneurship as place-dependent and contributed to an enhanced understanding of the environment for entrepreneurial activity based on culture-based shared meanings and valuations amongst members of the entrepreneurial community.

This is original empirical knowledge that adds significantly to the limited understanding of how regional social norms affect entrepreneurial intentions.

More than making use of values that are typically associated to entrepreneurs’ occupational identities (e.g. positioning themselves as risk takers and value creating individuals, supporting the development of a technology ecosystem), I discovered that Sheffield makers are committed to a broader effort of reimagining the city they inhabit.

This manifested itself through a commitment to: •

Refreshing manufacturing strengths

•

Promoting sustainability and ensuring workforce wellbeing

•

Advocating localism

Three of the eight entrepreneurs originally interviewed were revisited and agreed to film short documentaries focusing on these themes, and on the interplay of place and maker identity. Through the documentaries, we develop insight about how the relationship between makers and place influences entrepreneurial practices and outcomes.

The documentaries can be viewed at industrialrejuvenation.org

industrialrejuvenation.org

Documenting Maker Identities REFRESHING MANUFACTURING STRENGTHS

Committed focus on sustainable economic development, linking social, economic and environmental challenges to create a city with a strong and distinct global economic offer and confident small and medium businesses building a future based in key competitive advantages: manufacturing; advanced technology; creative and digital; research and innovation.

PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY AND ENSURING WORKFORCE WELLBEING

Researching, designing and building local and global solutions that address environmental sustainability issues. Leading the design and use of green technology to enable businesses, residents and organisations to operate effectively with affordable resources.

Being a high quality employer who is able to respond quickly and successfully to economic opportunities. Simultaneously being committed to the wellbeing of the region by offering reasonable value jobs, high quality training, development opportunities and collaborative linkages.

This commitment will attract talented and adaptable employees, with the right skills and abilities to build a successful business.

ADVOCATING LOCALISM

Increased ability of businesses, local citizens and communities to shape local policy and local responses and effectively use both formal and informal modes of governance. This requires more delegation of resources to better design the solutions that fit communities’ needs and aspirations.

Information School The University of Sheffield

MADE NORTH Platform for northern design

Our mission is to empower people, organisations and society to use information to shape and influence an increasingly dynamic and complex world.

MADE NORTH provides a creative platform that actively encourages and promotes understanding of contemporary northern design.

sheffield.ac.uk/is

madenorth.co.uk Design by MADE NORTH

Discover more and view the documentaries industrial rejuvenation. org