square feet
I hope this issue of 40 Square Feet finds you well, and embracing the depths of winter wherever you are.
This online zine is designed to give you a digestible bite of inspiration; we look at creative pursuit from a range of angles, holding dear to the the belief that feeling inspired and developing ideas is a human right rather than a reserve of professional practicioners.
In this issue, we share some ideas and insights across the art of instrument making, creating hybrid events, and political satire.
My area of expertise is in creating layouts that optimise interior spatial quality and refining interior details, but I see connections and overlapping principles everywhere I look. If you are interested in developing an interior project, whether this is your home or a sociable space such as a cafe/bar, workplace or educational space, please keep in touch with me. You can follow me on LinkedIn or find my current projects and services on my website - see below.
Enjoy the rest of the winter - be sure to hibernate with joy.
Melba melbabeetham.com
LinkedIn: melbabeetham
Contents: pg 4 - 7: Frank Tate Luthier pg 8 - 11: Lorna Miller Political Cartoonist pg 12 - 15: Ruby Sweeney The Events Hub Founder pg 16 - 17: Melba Beetham Interior Design pg 18: Elle Penketh Artist
Frank Tate is a luthier based in Dublin who specialises in making guitars, mandolins and bouzoukis. His customers include Ed Sheeran and Paul Simon.
(MB) How does the process of commissioning an instrument begin?
(FT) I mainly create instruments for people I know through the local music circuit, playing music with them in bands and sessions. It usually starts with someone seeing a piece I’ve made and approaching me to make something for them. People generally commission me because they like the sound of my instruments. It also helps them to know that I’ve been doing this for around 28 years. I’ve always had a workshop in central Dublin, making it easy for people to call in if they’re considering a commission.
(MB) Where do you go from there?
(FT) They usually have an idea of what they want or have seen an instrument they like, so we talk about these initial thoughts. They may share an image of something they’ve seen, and I then deconstruct this to understand the specific thing they like to avoid replicating it. And then I let it sit for a while. It’s an intuitive process;
I think about the person this is for and begin to draw shapes of instruments on the wall, which I then share with them. It’s a collaboration. We talk about music, and I see how they play music and what they try to get out of the instrument. For some, it needs high resonance, and for some, it needs to be stiffer for them to dig the sound out.
(MB) How do you make decisions on the material?
(FT) I know the properties of materials well by working closely with them over the years. I used to stock up, but I don’t do this anymore as I prefer to think about each new instrument afresh - I don’t want to use something just because it’s there. I use more bogwood these days, which is locally sourced and sustainable.
(FT) Approximately one month is a rough guide, but timescales depend on how many commissions I have at any time. The fastest instrument I made was a mandolin for Ed Sheeran. The promo company wanted to present it as a gift, and I made it in two weeks.
(MB) How long does it take to make?
(FT) The aesthetic is subtle and minimal and has developed over the years - I went bling for a while, but I came back from that. The head headboard and logo are the key signatures.
To find out more about Frank Tate’s instruments see details below instagram: franktateluthier
Luthier 64 Capel Street, Dublin 1
(MB) What defines a Frank Tate instrument?
She has 25 years experience as a freelance artist, having studied fine art, Drawing & Painting at Glasgow School of Art. She started by writing, drawing and selfpublishing her own comics. She then had work published in an anthology with four male friends. They organised the first comics exhibition in Glasgow and the comic received great reviews in the press.
She was the first Scottish woman to have a book collection of comic stories published. Internationally praised Witch was first published in England and then reprinted in the US. In 2014 Lorna was the first woman to have a slot created for her in Private Eye Magazine, illustrating Rotten Boroughs. In 2020-21 she was the only woman in the UK to have a weekly political cartoon published on the Scottish media platform Bella Caledonia.
Lorna’s work is in the permanent collection of The Royal Shakespeare Company, The People’s History Museum Manchester, The SNP, and University College London.
The cartoons shown here are from a selection from Lorna’s book THE POSH BOY, THE PANTS & THE PANDEMIC which can be purchased for £12.99 from ko-fi.com
To view - visit the shop of Lorna Miller, Mistress of Line.
“This book is a selection from over forty cartoons Lorna has drawn of Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, the Prime Minister of Britain from 2019 to 2022 - otherwise known as BoJo - who presided over a monkey’s tea party response to the pandemic. His standard of public office was judged a “serious failure” by the report that he commissioned. Always the first to see the funny and ridiculous side of serious and shocking events, Lorna became known for her brazen depiction of Boris wearing dubiously stained pyjamas, with a pair of lady’s knickers on his head, made-up like a pantomime dame, often smoking a cigar like Winston Churchill - who he tried (and deplorably failed) to emulate. Lorna Miller is a unique chronicler of that traumatic, chaotic and life-changing time” -ko-fi.com
“Lorna Miller is a scandal, that is, it’s a scandal that a cartoonist so skilled, lethal, funny and furious is not being published daily everywhere.
That our national newspaper cartoon slots remain logjammed by old white men (myself included) instead of showcasing her brilliance is the greatest indictment of the Main Stream Media I can think of.”
- Martin Rowson, The Guardian.
Ruby Sweeney founded
Its key goals are to not only create engaging, memorable experiences for attendees, but save clients the entire mental load from start to finish. She put together an agile, expert team to provide a tailored, personalised service for clients, and brought in world-leading technologies to help.
Recently recognised for her efforts, Ruby has been an F:Entrepreneur Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs for 2022, by Glisser as one of The Most Influential Women in Events 2022, a Top 100 Conference Professional in the UK and a finalist for the Great British Entrepreneur Awards & Great British Businesswoman Awards. Ruby was also a finalist for the Women’s Enterprise Scotland Adaptive Business of the Year, and The Events Hub joined the Small Biz 100 Top 100 businesses in the UK.
(MB) What is the definition of a hybrid event?
(RS) The way people think about hybrid events falls into two camps. Some people set out with the intended purpose of creating a hybrid experience. This goal is built into the planning from the offset and considers interactivity for both groups – those in the room and those online. And then you’ve got the other camp, where hybrid is an afterthought and gets added to existing face-to-face event or conference. Where the latter could have issues, is that hybrid hasn’t been woven into the intended purpose from the offset and this could have an impact on the organisation, timelines, suppliers, and importantly, event promotion.
If you stick a couple of cameras in a room and call it a hybrid event, it is not; it’s a live event streamed to an online audience. This type of event can work well, but you have to communicate that this is an event which is being livestreamed.
If you are attending a hybrid event online, you want to feel part of this event and not be like a passive attendee watching TV. It’s essential to set people’s expectations - it’s all in the terminology and the marketing, but Hybrid can mean different things to different people.
The Events Hub in 2011, after a decade’s rich experience across the industry.
Suppose Hybrid is part of the original intention. You have to consider your venue and catering for those in the room, and the platform experience and journey for those that are online. Hybrid means interaction for all.You need to consider every single touch point of the event. You have to be very intentional about what you are creating, and you have to be very clear about what the event will be.
The people online need to be placed at a slightly higher importance than those in the room. It’s easier for the organiser to acknowledge the people in the room, whereas online, people can feel forgotten. They must feel valued and visible.
Another expectation is that people online and in the room have the same experience; we’ve discovered this isn’t the case. So people online have a very different experience than those in the physical space, and that’s ok.
(MB) How do you know when a hybrid event is working?
(RS) The indicators are usually in the numbers, particularly with Virtual or Hybrid. In the room, people are still too polite to leave, so they might stay there even if they are not enjoying the event. Whereas online, you can be more ruthless, say this isn’t quite what I expected, and exit.
The other indicator is interaction, both in the room and online. When you see healthy interaction between participants or from participants to speakers through chat or Q&A, this is a strong indicator that the event is successful.
As an organiser, your responsibility is to tap into the event’s vibe either in the room or online. You can lift the energy if you feel it’s gone a bit flat.
The feedback is also a helpful indicator. People tend to be honest with feedback and report what they’ve got out of the event and if they’ve enjoyed it.
(MB) How do you see the culture of hybrid events developing?
(RS) I imagine that Hybrid will continue at the level that it’s at currently. As a mum and a business owner, I can see that attending events online gives me and others more opportunities to be visible than in physical events. It allows a more diverse range of people to attend and for our voices to be heard. The fact that content is made available post-event is a crucial factor. For example, it allows the option of listening to content whilst making dinner. I think the focus will increasingly be on content creation and availability.
Event tech is improving. Attendees can use event apps to engage and network. It’s all about using the technology smartly without overcomplicating it, giving people a reason to dip in and out. Platforms offer various ways for online participants to be visible, not only seeing people through rectangles on a screen but perhaps avatars walking around a 3D event floor. During Lockdown, many people expected that hybrid events would become available everywhere. Hybrid has been more challenging than expected, is more expensive, and needs far more planning. It’s about taking it back to the strategy, going back to that basic place of ‘What are we trying to do here? What kind of medium or format does it need to be in for us to achieve our objectives?’ You’ve got your strategy, purpose, communication and design; there are four elements you need to consider at every type of event, meeting, and interaction.
Do one great event per year rather than twelve mediocre events. People want to know that this will be a good use of their time; they need to feel excited about the event and get a sense of FOMO.
Strangely, the concept of interior design for your home slightly terrifies me.
Following the formula of some TV shows, where the inhabitant returns home to the surprise of a newly decorated room and then typically bursts into tears, is my idea of hell. I would be in tears, too, not for the element of surprise but for the sheer lack of control of my own beloved domestic space.
In response, I’ve created a design service for control freaks. Oh, and creatives.
If you spend evenings on Pinterest and are happiest floating around furniture stores and haberdasheries, but you need to leap to the technical aspects of creating furniture layouts and remodelling/ extending then this might help you too.
The principle is that we explore your ideas first and the opinions of everyone that lives in the homeapart from your pets.
The aim here is to have stress free creative design stage, which exhaustively explores all the potential of your home before entering into any of the more stressful and expensive steps of planning, tender and construction.
I have worked on commercial design projects, where
I’m happy to be directive on style & identity, but when it comes to the domestic sphere, this feels like a whole different creature. I see my role shifting and being a mentor to the creative process of the occupier, in which I can lean on 15 years of mentoring creative people at The Glasgow School of Art.
I have begun to do this locally and am now moving this across to a service that I can do remotely and globally. I bumped into a local client on a bus the other day and asked her a lot about her project that she’s just finished. I wanted to know what was helpful. “ I liked that you drew up the plans with our existing furniture and new options. This meant we could phase the project into affordable stages. You allowed us to see how much space we already have, so we never needed to spend on the shed c onversion. We love the changes we’ve made and are no longer looking at moving. I can see us living here for a long time now. “
If this service is of interest to you, simply drop me a line at design@melbabeetham.com, Melba
Boob Eyes artwork by Senile Darren, the pseudonym of Elle Penketh, an artist and illustrator from the North of England.
Find Elle on instagram: seniledarren
